Stephen Warnock admits criticism of Nicolas Jackson was unfair

Sky Sports pundit Stephen Warnock has admitted some of the criticism leveled at Nicolas Jackson this season has been unfair.

Jackson arrived from Spanish club Villareal last summer and, although impressive in his first season, he was criticized for missing opportunities.

The 22-year-old has scored 13 Premier League goals so far this campaign, including 16 in all competitions, matching Didier Drogba’s tally in his debut season.

Warnock admits criticism of Jackson was unfair

The Blues and their players have come under a lot of scrutiny for their performances this season, and that could be rightly said given the huge spending in the transfer market.

However, despite an indifferent campaign and obvious difficulties, Chelsea’s young side still have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League next season.

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom at Stamford Bridge this season and there have been a few bright sparks, namely Cole Palmer, but others have also impressed like Malo Gusto and Jackson.

Following the Senegalese international’s performances this season, Warnock admitted he felt the criticism of Jackson was unfair.

“I think we may have been a bit harsh on Nicolas Jackson at times because he missed so many opportunities, but his actual return in his first season in the Premier League was better than Didier Drogba’s ” he told Sky Sports.

“Maybe he should have scored 5-10 more goals because of the chances that were created for him.

“I think that’s how harsh the criticism can be towards certain players.”

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Jackson can certainly be frustrating given the opportunities he misses, but his overall game is very good and there’s certainly reason to be excited about him.

The striker has set himself a target of 15 Premier League goals, meaning he must score twice in Chelsea’s last three games.

Of all the problems at Stamford Bridge this season, Jackson is certainly not one of them.