sport news Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen is the 5ft 6in starlet who helped book Borussia ... trends now
The failure of Premier League clubs is once again proving to Borussia Dortmund's gain as Ian Maatsen and Jadon Sancho both starred in Tuesday's quarter-final Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
Maatsen scored Dortmund's crucial second goal to give them the lead against Atletico and he sent a pointed message to parent club Chelsea after another brilliant performance that has left Blues fans scratching their heads.
At just 22-years-old, the Dutch defender is a prodigy that Dortmund typically appear to be getting the best out of where others have been unable to do so.
Maatsen is on-loan at the Bundesliga giants until the end of the season and signed a new deal at Stamford Bridge before departing for Germany that keeps him at the club until 2026. But his recent impressive performances raise the question as to why he was allowed to leave in the first place.
After making 15 appearances for Chelsea this term, albeit with less than 400 minutes in total, Maatsen arrived in Dortmund with a point to prove after seeing opportunities limited under Mauricio Pochettino. He's certainly done that.
Ian Maatsen starred in Borussia Dortmund's Champions League quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid
The 22-year-old Blues star (right) departed Chelsea on-loan in January after being limited of first-team opportunities
As his shot sailed past Jan Oblak to give Borussia Dortmund one-foot in the Champions League's final-four, there were likely pangs of pain felt in London.
Maatsen spent last season at Burnley and starred as Vincent Kompany's side won the Championship in dominant fashion, but later struggled for game time after returning to his parent club.
The youthful left-back was expected to be given more opportunities at Chelsea especially after full-back difficulties with previous injuries to both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella.
Blues boss Pochettino claimed Maatsen would be 'more involved' in his squad as recently as December but found himself being transferred to the Signal Iduna Park less than a month later.
'Now with the injury circumstance [he’ll be more involved],’ Pochettino said speaking at his press conference before playing Sheffield United.
‘He was involved last game but young players sometimes they can impress you in pre-season but you need to give them time after to relax. Sometimes they struggle.'
Dortmund clearly didn't believe the Argentine as Maatsen was quickly thrust into the club's starting line-ups and gone on to make 17 appearances in all competitions while showing no signs of aforementioned struggle.
Maatsen scored a decisive goal for Dortmund as they emerged victorious over Atletico to advance to the Champions League semi-finals
Maatsen's journey to Chelsea
The youngster's journey to this moment has been a long one, with his current stint in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region of Germany the fourth loan move of his Blues career.
Maatsen was spotted as a rising star by Chelsea scouts while playing for PSV Eindhoven and impressed starred in Holland's Under-21 national team set-up before making the move to England six-years ago.
His versatility saw the 5ft 6in defender play at left-back, wing-back, centre-back and in central midfield during his debut season amongst the ranks at
