Chelsea signing delivers honest admission after slow start: 'I need to improve'

Palestra made his competitive debut for Chelsea in Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester United and acknowledged he needs to improve after a slow start.

Marco Palestra, Chelsea's £45 million summer signing from Atalanta, made his first competitive start for the Blues in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United. The 21-year-old wing-back had been sidelined by injury at the start of the season but finally got his chance in the match, which saw Chelsea secure a rare home league clean sheet — their first in a won game since January.

While some Chelsea supporters questioned Palestra's defensive positioning during the United fixture, he contributed to the shutout. Speaking after the match, Palestra acknowledged the challenge ahead: "I was just happy because, when I was young, I never thought I could be a Chelsea player. So the first emotion was only happiness. Now I am still happy, but I need to improve myself to win with this team." The Serie A Defender of the Year will hope to retain his place when Chelsea travel to Sunderland on Sunday.