Profiling Chelsea's Young Stars at the Under-17 World Cup

While the focus is on Antonio Conte and Chelsea's first team, the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in India is seeing some Blues youngsters carve out names for themselves away from Stamford Bridge.

The England under-17 side will hope they can follow in the footsteps of their under-20 counterparts, who were crowned world champions in the summer.

Chelsea have five youngsters on display in India—all with the Young Lions—and they have played their part in England reaching Saturday's quarter-final against the U.S.

Who makes up that quintet of talent representing the Blues on international duty? We take a closer look.

Marc Guehi

Position: Defender

Country: England

Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

He may have been born in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast—the hometown of none other than a certain Didier Drogba—but Marc Guehi has been representing his adopted country, England, in youth football.

He's played for the Young Lions at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level, having been a regular in Chelsea's youth teams since 2015.

The fact Guehi has been playing for Chelsea's under-18s since he was 15 outlines the talent he has. He's a physical presence, but we shouldn't let that fool us. Guehi is talented with the ball at his feet, as he has shown coming through the ranks at Chelsea.

The 17-year-old can play at right-back or centre-back.

He's no stranger to success, having won the FA Youth Cup and U18 Premier League with Chelsea last season. He also came close to making it a hat-trick of silverware when he captained England at the summer's UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

Unfortunately for him and the Young Lions, they lost on penalties vs. Spain in the final.

Jonathan Panzo

Position: Defender

Country: England

Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

If England can negotiate safe passage past the U.S. in their quarter-final on Saturday, it would prove the perfect birthday present for Jonathan Panzo. The defender will turn 17 on Wednesday.

Victory on Saturday would set up a semi-final for the Young Lions on the same day Panzo celebrates his birthday.

He's a London boy, being spotted by Chelsea's scouts when he was nine. He was invited to a trial with the club and hasn't looked back since.

Panzo has been used as a central defender or a left-back in Chelsea's youth teams, while he's also been a regular with the England development squads.

Alongside his under-17s appearances, Panzo has featured for England's under-16 and under-18 teams.

His U-17 World Cup has seen Panzo feature against Chile, Mexico and Japan, a game that saw England win on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals after a goalless draw.

Conor Gallagher

Position: Midfielder

Country: England

Conor Gallagher wasn't born too far from Stamford Bridge, growing up in Epsom, Surrey, in a family of Chelsea fans. When we consider players living the dream, the 17-year-old very much is given he turns out for the club he supports.

He's another midfielder completing the England squad at the U-17 World Cup, capable of playing in a wide or central position.

It was in the latter where he started out at Chelsea as a schoolboy before switching to that wider role he has become more familiar with in the development squads.

Unlike some players who have started at Chelsea from the age of eight and up, Gallagher was drafted in even earlier at Stamford Bridge. He has been a Chelsea player since he was six, meaning he's already spent 11 years with the club, winning silverware with the Blues' academy sides.

Gallagher is part of the Chelsea development squad, but he's also a full-time professional, having signed his first pro contract with Chelsea shortly after his 17th birthday in February. That deal lasts until 2019.

He's made two appearances at the U-17 World Cup to date.

George McEachran

Position: Midfielder

Country: England

The name McEachran is one laced with regret and missed opportunities at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea fans often lament the club's failure to nurture the undoubted talents of Brentford midfielder Josh McEachran, who came through under Carlo Ancelotti in 2010 to make his debut in the UEFA Champions League at the age of 17 and fill supporters with the hope he would be the next big academy graduate behind John Terry.

After a few years on loan, being passed around from club to club, McEachran was sold to Brentford in 2015. His younger brother, George, is now trying to break that hex.

George is just as talented as his brother was as a teenager, but unlike Josh, the 17-year-old has yet to make his Chelsea debut.

He can play further forward than his older sibling, too, operating more as an inside forward or No. 10, and he was a key part of the team that lifted the FA Youth Cup last season, making 26 appearances and scoring six goals in all competitions.

He's featured in three of England's four games at the U-17 World Cup and will be looking to start in the Young Lions' quarter-final meeting with the U.S.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Position: Attacking midfielder

Country: England

Chelsea's youth team has been blessed with goalscorers in recent years. While he's no longer at the club after a contract dispute saw him depart for Liverpool in the summer, Dominic Solanke had been a big feature in youth football. He won the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League while a Chelsea player, joining the club at the age of eight.

And now Premier League fans are being treated to the talents of Tammy Abraham on a weekly basis, with his loan spell at Swansea City bringing him goals at the highest level in English football.

We shouldn't forget Ike Ugbo, another player who has been prolific in the junior ranks. He's on loan with Barnsley. Then there's Dujon Sterling, an attacking star who creates and scores goals.

Add Callum Hudson-Odoi to the list of promising talent coming out of Stamford Bridge, with the attacking midfielder proving himself to be a goal threat.

Last season saw him score eight goals for the under-18s, starting the campaign as a 15-year-old. That meant he was playing a year above his level, as Hudson-Odoi was a schoolboy, strictly speaking.

He's another player who has been with Chelsea since he was eight. He's developed at the club, being nurtured by the Chelsea coaches to develop his style in a way that suits the first-team system.

The challenge he faces is the same as every other talented youngster in blue: translating his ability into becoming a first-team regular in a dressing room dominated by overseas talent.

He doesn't turn 17 until November, so there's plenty more for him to do to develop, but hopes seem high for him.