THERE was not much Adu — only 45 minutes — but it was enough to suggest that Stateside football’s glowing talent has sufficient potential to be a success in Europe. Linking any player worth more than £5 million to Chelsea has become standard practice in the Abramovich era, but Freddy Adu is happy to save the gossip-mongers some effort by doing their work for them.

“Hopefully one day I can end up playing with those guys rather than against them,” the 16-year-old said. “I watch them all the time, they’re my favourite team in the world. The way they play, they play to win, and they play hard and that’s what I’m all about.”

Adu’s second season in Major League Soccer (MLS) is being considered a disappointment, but since he is at an age when most teenagers find it hard enough to have a normal conversation with their parents, he can be forgiven for some inconsistent displays.

He came on in the second half of Chelsea’s friendly against DC United at FedEx Field on Thursday night and looked lively. “He’s the sort of player who’d be coveted all over the world. He’s a talent and all the good players are linked with Chelsea,” Joe Cole said. “It’s difficult to have such a lot of pressure on young shoulders, which I know all about, but you’ve just got to deal with it.”

Chelsea, like every big European team, have monitored Adu’s progress. José Mourinho, not surprisingly given his thoroughness, is clued up on the teenager. “I spoke to him before the game, he congratulated me for the goal I scored last week,” Adu said. The best-paid player in the US — his contract is worth $500,000 (about £280,000) a year, twice as much as the normal salary cap, not to mention his sponsorship deals — will not stick around in MLS for much longer. “I would love to end up playing (for Chelsea). When I’m 18 I’ll start exercising my options so hopefully I get a call from a big club in Europe,” he said.

There may be a space in the Chelsea midfield if Michael Essien does not join from Lyons. The move is looking doubtful and Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, will meet Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyons president, next week. Even if Essien does arrive, there could still be space if Chelsea agree to give Lyons a player — probably Tiago — in part- exchange. As for reports that a deal for Andriy Shevchenko, the AC Milan striker, is imminent, Mourinho said: “I laughed a lot when I read about the ‘offer’ for Shevchenko.”

As if to reassure his existing strikers, he praised their contributions. “I’m not very happy with some of the players but (Hernán) Crespo, (Didier) Drogba and Carlton Cole, there were three good performances,” the Chelsea manager said. “Another club is interested in Carlton but I didn’t let him leave. He was happy with my decision. I said, ‘Carlton, even if you are my third choice, you play dozens and dozens of matches’.”

Discontent at flaws in a 2-1 victory over a determined team seems a luxury, especially given the messy tours endured by the Manchester clubs, though it is characteristic of the Portuguese’s driven personality.

As he did against Milan on Sunday, Mourinho changed his entire team, with Wayne Bridge returning after his broken ankle. DC went ahead after half an hour, but Damien Duff equalised with a smart angled volley five minutes later and Crespo scored the winner after the break.

“Tonight Didier played in a bad team that in the first half was really bad, but he showed pace, intensity and held the ball up well, so I’m pleased,” Mourinho said. “Didier is a good character, he’s not worried about being top scorer, just about winning matches.”

Drogba scored ten league goals from 18 starts last season — an average return after his £24 million transfer from Marseilles last summer. He still looks unrefined but the explosive potential remains.

“Last season was very good for my first season because it’s hard to adapt to English football,” Drogba said. “I played a lot of games and even with the injuries I scored 16 goals, important goals for the team and that’s why I’m still here. I’m doing my job for the team.

“When I arrived at Chelsea I’d only had six days’ holiday. When you play for your club during the season and your country in the summer your body has no more to give. Maybe that’s why I had so many injuries.”

Not an encouraging thought given the number of Chelsea players likely to be at next summer’s World Cup, but it would be impossible to deny that they look poised for another successful season.

RISING STAR

Born in Ghana, Adu moved to the United States aged 8. An attacking midfield player or forward, DC United selected him as the first pick in the Major League Soccer (MLS) player draft last year and he became the youngest player to appear in a MLS match in its history, aged 14 years 306 days. Signed a contract with Nike worth $1 million.

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