Cape Town - Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink was pleased with what he saw from 20-year-old duo Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Matt Miazga in Saturday's win over Aston Villa.
The Blues romped to a 4-0 victory at Villa Park, with Loftus-Cheek scoring his first Premier League goal while Miazga made his debut in the centre of Chelsea's defence.
Loftus-Cheek wanted to be replaced late in the match, but the experienced Dutch tactician decided that it would be good for the academy graduate to endure until the final whistle.
"He was used to being substituted after an hour," Hiddink told The Guardian. "But we deliberately kept him on to suffer for a little bit. He needed the experience of 90 minutes.
"He had a little bit of cramp and I said 'Come on, it's good for you'. Although it was not the highest tempo game, he had to experience it.
"Miazga had a rather comfortable game, even though it's not easy against [Villa striker Rudy] Gestede," he added.
"He did well and showed he has the potential, but this was not the most tough game. You have to consider as well how you cope when a good war is going on, but it was a good first step up for him."