After Chelsea’s 4-0 opening weekend defeat to Manchester United, many fans feared the worst.

The Blues were unable to strengthen their ranks this summer due to a transfer ban and with the appointment of Frank Lampard, Chelsea were something of an unknown quantity.

And they still are after a mixed bag of results in their opening five matches.

That heavy loss to United has been joined by disappointing draws at home to Leicester and Sheffield United.

But away victories at Norwich and Wolves, scoring eight goals in the process, have shown signs of promise.

The most promising aspect of the campaign so far is the performances of the club’s academy graduates.

All of Chelsea’s 11 goals in the league so far have come from players that have progressed through the youth system at the club.

Seven of those have been scored by Tammy Abraham - who helped himself to a hat-trick during Chelsea’s 5-2 win against Wolves on Saturday.

Seven goals in five appearances for a 21-year-old playing his first season in the Premier League.

Not bad.

And when you compare that to fellow 21-year-old striker Marcus Rashford, it’s even better.

Rashford is now playing in his fifth Premier League campaign and is yet to surpass 10 goals in a single season.

Also, the United striker is yet to score a hat-trick in the top-flight.

Rashford is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in world football.

But perhaps it’s Abraham who we should be talking about as being England’s future No.9, not Rashford.