Ugbo left Stamford Bridge in the recent transfer window to link up with former Blues assistant manager Paul Clement, who is currently the coach at Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge.
Clement has shared his experience with Ugbo about young players who he worked with at the Chelsea that failed to reach the heights that were expected of them.
And Igbo revealed that former Chelsea starlet Kakuta is one player Clement highlighted, someone whose fall from highly rated prospect to perennial loanee resonates with him and motivates him to work harder.
Kakuta left Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2015 and the ex-Blues star’s career has taught Igbo that a player needs to have more than just talent to break through at a top club like Chelsea, with the 22-year-old now more motivated to make it at his parent club.
“The manager tells us about players he worked with who had a lot of potential but their application was lacking so they didn’t really make it”, Ugbo told the Athletic.
“He’s talked about a few from his time at Chelsea — Kakuta was one of them.
“I was young when he was coming through at Chelsea but I remember he was a top player.
“That was one of the names which stood out for me.
“It does hit home. He was a player Chelsea fans were really excited about.
“It shows you need more than just talent.
“The manager is always on our case about that, saying don’t waste any days because he’s seen it at loads of different clubs, with different players.”
Igbo has started the last ten Belgian Pro League games for Cercle Brugge, with the Chelsea loanee registering seven goals in the process.
