Who Is Set to Be Chelsea's Next Big Star?

Izzy Brown is following a path taken by many.

Currently on loan with Vitesse Arnhem, the Chelsea youngster is just another name on the growing list of players who depart Stamford Bridge every summer on temporary transfers.

It's part of Chelsea's much-reported strategy to utilise the loan system to their benefit; loan deals either help produce the stars of tomorrow or give youngsters enough experience that they have a sell-on value.

Thibaut Courtois' time with Atletico Madrid ended with him being Petr Cech's replacement, while the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne have been sold on for significant profit.

Many Chelsea youngsters on loan end up where Brown is now—in the Eredivisie, calling the GelreDome home for 12 months. In some cases, it can be even longer.

That path may well be one that's excessively travelled, but Brown's route is taking him to a very different destination than the majority of his peers.

Like Courtois before him, Brown's headed for the very top.

Chelsea fans have seen Brown complete just 11 minutes of first-team action since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2013 (incidentally against his former club West Bromwich Albion last season).

Already Premier League champions by that stage, Jose Mourinho's side lost 3-0 in an uninspiring affair. Despite the three goals, the highlight of the game was Cesc Fabregas' bizarre sending off.

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With the game gone, Brown's late cameo didn't tell us much about him. There were a few neat touches that hinted at his talent, but overall nothing stood out.

Everything before that has, though.

In a young team full of potential stars, Brown has been a leader in Chelsea's academy for the two years he's been at the club.

He's been everything stars need to be: a winner, commanding, superior.

Chelsea haven't won back-to-back FA Youth Cup titles by chance. They haven't followed up that success with the UEFA Youth League as some sort of anomaly.

The club's dominance in the junior ranks has come about with the likes of Dominic Solanke and Ruben Loftus-Cheek featuring heavily in those teams.

It's Brown who has been the master, though.

Indeed, such is his ability that it's perhaps age more than anything that has seen Brown sent on loan this season. In a dressing room of champions, it's difficult for Jose Mourinho to throw into his team an unproven 18-year-old and expect him to produce.

On the opposite side of London where Reece Oxford is picking up headlines, it's a different story altogether. Yet in the west, where silverware is expected as much as it is demanded, that level of pressure can suffocate players. It can strip away the talent, breaking it down to leave nothing behind other than regret and unfulfilled potential.

In 2015/16, Brown is an inbetweener: too good and experienced for the development squads, yet still too young and naive for first-team action.

Play back his highlights and it's clear that with age will come the maturity Mourinho craves in his players.

That means game management, tactical nous and composure—everything the likes of Eden Hazard and John Terry have in abundance to complement their raw abilities as footballers.

It's the only thing Brown lacks, but he's getting there.

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His display in the UEFA Youth League final was exceptional. Just 24 hours earlier he had been flown back from Switzerland to London to be an emergency substitute in Chelsea's clash with QPR.

Loic Remy had injured himself in training, so with only Didier Drogba fit among the strikers, Chelsea needed someone to add a little bulk on the bench.

Brown seemed unfazed by it all. In a true captain's performance the following day, he scored twice against Shakhtar Donetsk to help seal a 3-2 victory. He took the man of the match award, along with the trophy.

Where the goals excited at the prospect of Brown doing something similar in the Chelsea first team, his performance as a whole spoke volumes for his mental strength and for his ability to adapt and live up to the expectation.

Flying from country to country at short notice is hardly the ideal preparation for any player. Being so dominant and playing with such authority, Brown showed he has substance.

Eyes were on him, and he delivered.

It's that which will take him far in his career; it's what will make him Chelsea's next big star.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes