From GCSEs to European semi-final - meet Chelsea's 16-year-old wonderkid

Chelsea have been so dominant throughout this year's Europa Conference League that, while sweeping aside just about every team in front of them, they have also been able to use the competition to blood a number of youngsters.

The Blues reached the final with a 1-0 win over Djurgarden in their semi-final second leg on Thursday, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory.

In the first leg it was 16-year-old Reggie Walsh's turn to be introduced on the global stage.

On Thursday he became the club's youngest European starter aged 16 years and 200 days. Still of schoolboy age, he is unable to sign a professional contract until his 17th birthday in October.

But Walsh is now Chelsea's third youngest ever player, behind only midfielder Ian Hamilton and goalkeeper Kingsley Whiffen - who made their debuts in 1967 - having entered the pitch at 3Arena six months and 11 days after his 16th birthday.

"He was not worried at all, he was laughing," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said of the midfielder's reaction to finding out that he would start Thursday's game.

"I told him, 'You have to play in the same way that you do in training sessions with us. Enjoy, ask for the ball, enjoy'. And you can see that he was doing well.

"I love Reggie because he's that kind of player that, in my system, in the way I want to play, it's perfect. You struggle to find players so young. He's 16. One. Six. And you see how he was asking for the ball, how good he is on the ball."

On whether Walsh now needs to focus on his GCSEs, Maresca said: "The most important thing for him is that he continues to study, he continues to go. I ask him now, tomorrow he has to go to school. It's important for him, he has to continue on that. But for sure, he's a good player."

Walsh is a technically gifted midfielder and has played mostly for the under-18s this season, registering four goals and two assists in 15 games, while also making two appearances for the under-21 side.

He joined Chelsea at the age of seven and progressed through the age groups at Cobham, having grown up in west London. He has represented England too, from the under-15s through to the under-17s.

Maresca was pictured whispering in his ear as Walsh prepared to come on in the first leg in Sweden, later revealing that he told the teenager to "enjoy the moment, be happy and play the way he's training with us every day".

"He's so good because he makes everything easy," said the Italian.

Striker Nicolas Jackson, who scored twice in the first leg, also said of Walsh on TNT Sports: "He's a very good player, top quality. For sure he is going to go far. I'm very happy for him to make his debut. I hope [there's] more to come for him and I am very happy for him."