Charlton Athletic midfielder Conor Gallagher says the current success of fellow Chelsea youth stars has given him confidence to break into the starting XI of parent club some day as well.

Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori were all on loan in the Championship last season but have become first-team regulars under Frank Lampard's Stamford Bridge regime.

Having joined the Addicks on loan from Chelsea in the summer, Gallagher is now hoping to follow the same path.

"They all played in the Championship and had a great season, and then managed to get into Chelsea’s first team and obviously that’s a dream for me," the midfielder said in an interview with Charlton's official website.

"Before I came the main thing I wanted to do was play as many games possible. That was the main target and I’ve played every game so far, so that’s good.

"I want to add goals as well this season, which I have done as well, and I just need to carry on now."

He netted his fourth goal of the season against Fulham on Saturday as the Addicks picked up another impressive point on their return to the second tier.

Goals from Ivan Cavaleiro and Aleksandar Mitrovic ensure that the spoils were shared, with Macauley Bonne looping in a header for the visitors between the strikes.

The Addicks now sit in tenth place with 11 matches played and just two points off the play-off pace.

The verdict

There is no reason Gallagher cannot break into the Chelsea team at the rate he is going.

He arrived at the Valley as a relatively unknown quantity but has certainly asserted himself now and with the Blues newfound interest in their own youth products, Gallagher could be perfectly positioned.

It is unlikely that he will not be involved in the set-up until next season, however, he had got to be happy with that.

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