Julien Ngoy was not a name anybody expected to see in the Stoke City squad so soon, but the Belgian has thanked captain Ryan Shawcross for helping to fast-track his progress.

The 18-year-old was part of pre-season trips to Austria and Germany and was named in the Premier League matchday squad to face Everton at Goodison Park last month.

Stoke fought off Real Madrid and Manchester United for Ngoy’s signature and Shawcross has been nurturing the youngster, who is now keen to start making his presence felt regularly for Mark Hughes’ side in the Premier League.

“I had already spoken to Ryan last season before I first started working with the first-team squad and when he saw me play he said he was happy with what I was producing and how I was going about my work,” Ngoy explained.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“He talked to me a lot in pre-season too and really showed his leadership skills as the captain.

“The squad made it easy for me. Mame Diouf and Giannelli Imbula helped and Ryan Shawcross was always showing me what to do too, which can only be a good thing for me.

“To be around the first-team was a really good experience for me. It was nice to be around a couple of the French players too because it helped me to settle in amongst the squad and made it a little easier to get involved.”

Chelsea have to turn things around quickly, according to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, after they slumped to defeat to Liverpool to fall off the pace at the top of the Premier League.

The Blues dropped their first points of the season away to Swansea City last weekend, and followed that up with a 2-1 home loss to the Reds at Stamford Bridge.

Next up Chelsea face last year’s champions Leicester in the EFL Cup before taking on London rivals Arsenal next Saturday.

And Courtois admits a slow start from the Blues was costly against Liverpool, with Jordan Henderson’s screamer proving to be the winner.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“We didn’t start well. In the first half we didn’t have the duels, we didn’t have the second ball, everything was for them,” he said.

“They pressured us and we couldn’t cope with it. It was very hard and we gave two goals away.”

Now Chelsea turn their attention to Leicester, and even though it’s not a league clash, Courtois insists the Blues are desperate to perform well in cup competition as well this season.

“We know how Leicester plays, it’s very hard there as well,” he added.

“Those cups are important and we want to win a trophy this season.

“It will be a hard game and we should react after two disappointing games at Swansea and losing at home to Liverpool. The next game away at Arsenal we should try to win like last season.”

When Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama arrived at Tottenham Hotspur this summer you could have forgiven Tom Carroll for thinking his days in north London were numbered.

But, after penning a new three-year contract with Spurs, Carroll is ready to repay Mauricio Pochettino’s faith and force his way into the first team.

After two loan spells at Leyton Orient, Carroll made his Spurs debut in a League Cup tie at Carlisle United in September 2012 and has now notched up 54 appearances in Lilywhite.

His last Premier League start though, came in January in a home defeat to eventual champions Leicester City.

(Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

But the 24-year-old said: “We’ve a top squad here full of international players, so it’s hard but you have to keep your head down, keep working hard every day and see where it takes you.

“I know if I get a chance I have to take it.

“I’ve seen a lot of players come and go and I’m delighted to sign an extension and see what this season brings.

“We’ve had a lot of home-grown talent come through the system in the last few years and now there are younger lads coming up again and it’s great to see their faces with the senior squad.”

Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson insists he is finally finding his feet again in the Premier League following his Euro 2016 exploits.

Sigurdsson was one of the Icelandic players to shine at Euro 2016 this summer, the nation marking their first finals appearance by reaching the last eight, dumping England out along the way.

That meant the 27-year-old midfielder enjoyed a shortened pre-season with Swansea after being given time off to recover following his international involvement.

But after netting his first goal of the season in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, Sigurdsson believes he is now back to full fitness.

“I feel like I am back to full fitness and match sharpness now,” said Sigurdsson, Swansea’s player of the year last season.

“It did take a while after going away for a month at the end of Euro 2016.

“I was given an extended break, then I went from doing nothing to coming into training a couple of weeks before the first game.

“It’s not ideal, but I think I and the other players who came back late will benefit from having that break when it comes to January.

“If you have had no rest, you will be more likely to pick up injuries when the busy period comes.”

Enner Valencia’s arrival at Everton might have been delayed, but now he has finally tasted the atmosphere at his new club he can’t wait to get stuck into the action.

The 26-year-old attacker completed a season-long loan from West Ham United on transfer deadline day.

However, international duty with Ecuador delayed Valencia’s arrival at Finch Farm, having already played six times for the Hammers this season.

But after experiencing his first training sessions this week Valencia admits he is happy to finally be wearing an Everton shirt and he hopes to make his debut as soon as possible.

“I’m very happy to be here. It’s a great club with excellent fans. I’m looking forward to getting onto the pitch with my new teammates,” Valencia said.

“I was in Ecuador when I signed with Everton on the last day of the transfer market. I was a little bit worried it wouldn’t get done in time but, in the end, everything was fine.

“When the people who I work with told me about the possibility of joining Everton that morning, it was great news for me. When it was confirmed in the last hour [of the window], it was an even better moment.

“[Training] is different than my last team – a little bit harder! There’s a great coach and manager here and I am trying to learn about him.

“I already knew that Everton was a big team but when I came here to the training ground, I realised that it was bigger than what I thought before.

“I have great teammates, there are great staff working behind the team and there are all the facilities for me to have a great year here.”

West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has put London rivalry to one side and sent a get-well message to Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare.

Souare had to be cut free from his car after a motorway crash and was airlifted to hospital where he underwent surgery to a broken thighbone and fractured jaw.

Palace manager Alan Pardew has revealed he expects to be without Souare’s services for six months.

And Senegalese compatriot Kouyate admits his thoughts are with the 26-year-old.

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

“My message to Pape is that he needs to stay strong. We are praying for him and hope that he will come back stronger,” Kouyate said.

“It won’t be easy for him and he will need all of our support during his recovery.

“As a fellow Senegalese player, captain of the Senegalese side and a fellow Muslim, I will be behind him all the way, as will our fellow members of the Senegalese squad.”

When Jermain Defoe left Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 he knew his number 18 shirt was going to a good home.

Harry Kane was yet to score his first Premier League goal when Defoe jetted off to Toronto, but Defoe suspected he would always come good.

Kane, who now wears No10, has gone on to hit 50 Premier League goals for Spurs in double-quick time.

And, as Defoe prepares to return to White Hart Lane with current employers Sunderland on Sunday, he says he is looking forward to seeing Kane at close quarters once more.

(Scott Heppell/AFP/Getty Images)

“I have great memories from my time there – the players I played with and the fans in particular – but one of the reasons why going back is nice is because players like Kane have come through and done well,” Defoe said.

“He’s scored so many goals but I’m not surprised because when I was there I felt, at times, that he should have been given a chance rather than splashing out so much money on other players.

“He was always someone that I looked at and thought could do well and score goals in the Premier League; he always scored goals in the Under-21s, looked sharp in training and didn’t look out of place, so I always believed it was a matter of time before he came through.

“I remember when I left the club he came up to me and said that he wanted to have the number 18 shirt, and I did because if there was anyone I was going to give it to it was him because he’s a natural goalscorer.”

Marc Albrighton admits he will remember the moment he scored Leicester City’s first goal in the UEFA Champions League for the rest of his life.

The 26-year-old midfielder’s career has been rejuvenated since he joined the Foxes in 2014, just a few months after they sealed promotion to the Premier League.

And he hit new heights by getting onto the end of a Luis Hernandez throw-in to score just his fifth goal for the club in two years.

It was the first of three goals as Leicester opened their Champions League account with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge earlier this week.

“It’s massive. I’m not going to play it down because it’s probably one of the biggest achievements of my career so far,” Albrighton said.

(Photo credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

“It’s massive for me and my family because it will live with me forever.

“I can always look back and say I’ve done that and hopefully with a few more games left in the competition, I can chip in with a few more.

“I just thought don’t miss! It’s all a bit of a blur. Obviously it happened so fast during the game and I think the celebration needs a bit of work because it doesn’t happen too often.”

Jeff Hendrick might be Burnley’s record signing, but there will be no special rules for the Irishman as he gets to grip with life in Lancashire.

The 24-year-old joined the Clarets for £10 million on Deadline Day and has spent the past few weeks getting used to a novel fines system in place at Turf Moor.

And though Hendrick has been cut a little bit of slack by his new team-mates, he has been trying his best to learn the ropes quickly to avoid any hefty fines.

(Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

“There’s been a few rules around with fines for doing certain things, such as leaving bottles lying around and silly little things like that, but luckily I’ve had a week’s grace and they have let a few things slide,” Hendrick jokes.

“I’ve been using that to test the water to find out what is a fineable offence and they’ve been waiting to catch me out.

“Wardy (Stephen Ward) has been helping me to be fair, which is nice, but a few of the others have been making me worry!

“I’m on top if it now, but there was no rule book there for me to read!

“I’ve had to pick up the rules as I’ve gone along with Pat Bamford!”