Tammy Abraham says his red-hot season in front of goal for Chelsea is all down to his new-found maturity.
The striker, who is with the Enlgand Under-18s squad preparing for next week’s double-header in Russia, has fired 41 goals for the Blues’ youth sides this campaign – helping them to lift both The FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League.
Abraham has also notched his first goals at international level when he netted a brace in the 6-1 victory over Switzerland in March, and he is hoping to continue his lethal run in Moscow.
Russia v England
International U18 Matches
8 & 10 June 2015
Arena Khimki, Moscow
“I think this year, as I’ve got older, I’ve just wanted it more. As I’m getting closer to the age of where people start to break into the first-team, obviously that drives me and really made me want to work harder this season,” he told TheFA.com.
“My finishing has definitely been the thing I have improved on the most. It felt last season that in front of goal if I had six chances I would only score one or two, so I really wanted to work on my finishing and now I’ve shown I can be a lot more clinical – that’s been a big achievement for me.”
He continued: “It’s been a wonderful year with winning the UEFA Youth League and retaining The FA Youth Cup. Those were both great achievements for me and the team.
"I remember last time when I was with England I said that I wanted to end the season on a high, and this is exactly what I meant.”
Abraham in action at England training
Although his place as one of the main men in Chelsea’s attack is established, the youngster is still striving to make himself England’s No9.
But with a large number of talented forwards in this age group, he knows he has to transfer his club form on to the international stage.
“If I get a chance I know I’ll have to take them. You don’t get too many at international level, so I’ll need to make them count.
“My confidence is high but I know I need to keep improving and scoring goals. I have 41 this year, but my favourite was the volley against Man City in The Youth Cup Final. It was a different type of goal to what I usually score, so I was pleased the most with that one as it showed I have a variety of finishes.”
Tammy Abraham notched two in the Youth Cup Final first-leg
And ahead of travelling to Russia on Saturday, Abraham believes his experiences with Chelsea in Europe will give him an edge in Moscow.
“That was a massive thing for us. Travelling to a different country to play in the final, the whole event was just brilliant really," he said.
“You learn to adapt to different opposition and playing abroad, but I think I’ve handled it well and done allright, hopefully I can continue.”
