'Chelsea Youth Must Be Special'  (Sky Sports)

Paul Merson believes Chelsea youth players have to be special to break into the first team, and that under-21 football is not helpful for their development.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been one of the few Chelsea academy players to appear for the first team in recent years, and scored his first goal for the club against Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup in January after being introduced at half-time by Guus Hiddink.

The debate over Chelsea's development system has raised questions as the club currently have 32 players out on loan, whilst the club are reportedly in pursuit of striker Alexandre Pato rather than looking towards the academy for an attacking option.

And Merson feels that the lack of opportunities for young Chelsea players shows that you have to be special to break into the first-team, and that under-21 football is not right for player development.

"When you're Chelsea and you've got 11 players playing you've got to be special to break in," he told Soccer Saturday.

"I don't like under-21 football, I don't agree with it. You're playing against lads their same age. We were bought up in a way that if you weren't in the team you played reserve team football before you got in the team."

Merson also feels putting players into competition with more senior players helps build desire.

He said: "I was a 16-year-old playing against Billy Bonds, he was about 40 at the time but I never got a kick. You come off and you think "this is the level I've got to get to,"

"These under-21s are all playing against the same age, you just don't improve. You're not playing against anything out of the ordinary.

"Being at Chelsea, you have to be someone completely special to turn around and go 'I'm going to play you instead of Matic today' and he's (Loftus-Cheek) got to think deep down he's better than him and that's hard."