‘Mourinho threatened to get rid of Matic at half-time in a pre-season friendly!’

In 2014, Jordan Houghton was part of a Chelsea team that had just won the first of the club’s five FA Youth Cups in a row. And he was knocking on the door trying to get his chance in the first team under Jose Mourinho.

Cesc Fabregas arrived from Barcelona to add to Mourinho’s midfield options, which already included Nemanja Matic, Ramires and John Obi Mikel. Like many young hopefuls coming through the Chelsea system however, Houghton ended up on loan before ultimately leaving for good.

Back then, Houghton might have fared better with a coach like Frank Lampard to bridge the gap to the first team but the MK Dons midfielder has nothing but fond memories of his time at Cobham.