Kurt Zouma Now Ahead of Gary Cahill in Chelsea Pecking Order

It's interesting that, throughout the course of a season, there are always youngsters who break through and overhaul senior players in the minds of football managers.

And while it's more common at clubs lower down the Premier League, it doesn't mean it can't happen among the elite, too.

For example, Arsenal's Hector Bellerin is currently breaking out in his own right as a Premier League defender, while Manchester United's James Wilson is also making a decent impact during Louis van Gaal's first season at the club.

And at Chelsea, they're currently producing one of their own exciting stars in Kurt Zouma. When he was signed last January from Saint-Etienne, nobody could have imagined the 20-year-old making quite as big an impact as he has.

"

Kurt Zouma is one hell of a prospect.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 31, 2015"

Initially on the fringes, Zouma has started to come to the fore more and more in recent weeks, and is now in a position where he is in contention for the starting XI each and every week.

John Terry and Gary Cahill have been Jose Mourinho's go-to pairing at the back since he returned to Stamford Bridge, but that tide is starting to turn somewhat. And while many would have expected Terry to eventually be the man that made way for Zouma, it is Cahill who seems to be making way for the Frenchman.

Zouma had been limited to sporadic appearances in cup competitions during his first few matches with the club, but there was a big moment in his career last weekend, when he made his Premier League debut for the club. That was in place of Cahill, and after the England international had been below par for the last few weeks, it may not have come as a surprise to some.

Cahill was shocking against Tottenham during the Blues' 5-3 defeat to their London rivals last month, and he followed that up with a seriously indifferent performance against League One side Bradford.

The England international struggled to look after Bradford striker Jon Stead, who scored one and set up two others during that 4-2 win for the lower league side at Stamford Bridge. And while it wasn't a perfect afternoon for Zouma either, he certainly did seem to be slightly more commanding and controlling of a physically dominant Bradford side.

So Mourinho opted to put his faith in Zouma for the Blues' massive Premier League tussle against title rivals Manchester City, and it's fair to say that the 20-year-old rewarded Mourinho massively.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Although the game finished 1-1, Zouma more than held his own while in direct competition with the lively Sergio Aguero, underlining his arrival as a top quality Premier League defender. Keeping tabs on perhaps the finest striker in world football is no mean feat, and Zouma certainly showed why he is held in such high regard at Stamford Bridge.

With John Terry mentoring him every step of the way, too, there's no reason why Zouma can't get even better.

And with Chelsea now out of the FA Cup, the challenge for Mourinho is to now decide how he plays out Zouma's short-term future. The cup competitions were a brilliant breeding ground for his development, but he now has three genuine competitors for just two slots at the heart of Chelsea's defence.

Zouma has shown that he can handle the big occasions, as well as the big strikers. He looks to have established himself as John Terry's partner for the immediate future, and it is now up to Cahill to overhaul the Frenchman.