Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson bagged a brace as Senegal got off to a flier in their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a win over Botswana.
The Bayern Munich loanee opened the scoring with a fine left-footed first-time finish.
He added his second with a composed strike under immense pressure, earning himself the Man of the Match award.
He also missed two big chances but played three key passes and consistently created chances for his teammates through his superb hold-up play and vision.
Unfortunately, these are qualities Chelsea currently lack up top, as Liam Delap continues to struggle as the club’s number nine.
Delap is yet to find his groove at the club, with just one goal in 11 appearances this season, leaving much of the goalscoring duties to Joao Pedro.
With the Blues currently lacking firepower, bringing back Jackson would have been the course of action.
His finishing can still be wild and erratic, but other aspects of his game make him worth the punt.
Jackson is showing the qualities the Blues need and would be more useful to them than playing second fiddle in Germany for a club unwilling to buy him permanently.
Senegal’s opener was a timely reminder that, flaws and all, Jackson remains a forward who impacts games in multiple ways.
That all-round striker’s performance is precisely what Chelsea’s current set-up is crying out for.
Jackson offers movement, physicality and link-up play that cannot be replicated by a striker short on confidence.
If pragmatism outweighs pride at Stamford Bridge, the Blues could yet find that the solution to their attacking issues has been staring them in the face all along.
