Chelsea's most important midfielder - and it's not Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea's most important midfielder is the least expensive they have and one who always has a point to prove to stay in the starting eleven. Conor Gallagher's absence at Old Trafford highlighted his importance far more than he ever has when playing.

Chelsea's passive display and the way both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez were bullied by Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat shone the light on Gallagher's ultimate gift, the press. No Chelsea midfielder has covered more ground than Gallagher has this season, and no Blues player has the 23-year-old's ability to press and run at the opposition.

There is a reason why when he's available he's one of the first names on the team sheet. Mauricio Pochettino's whole system is built on a strong press and Gallagher has both the legs and heart to deliver that against any opposition in the Premier League. He's not the perfect midfielder, but he is perfect in the way Chelsea set up and his absence takes away the feisty and aggressive style Pochettino is trying to implement.

The numbers back up Gallagher's increasing importance

Despite his young age, Gallagher already has 113 Premier League games under his belt. His best season in the top league came when he played under Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace on loan and as one source at Chelsea told LondonWorld: "Vieira understood that the best player you want to have in your team when chasing a game is Conor Gallagher."

When you play for Crystal Palace you're almost always going to be chasing games and Gallagher's form rewarded him with eight goals and three assists, and crucially for a midfielder he won 199 duels and made 187 recoveries. He helped the South London club to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup against Chelsea, but his loan agreement meant he couldn't play against his parent club and Palace couldn't land a blow at Wembley that day. The Eagles wanted to make his loan deal permanent but Thomas Tuchel had seen enough and the Chelsea board agreed it was best he stayed at the club.

This season, there has been talks of him being sold to balance the books with Newcastle and Tottenham interested, but Pochettino has made it clear his star midfielder is untouchable, especially this early into a new project.

"Conor is in our plans, I was talking with him the first day I arrived. In football, things can happen we cannot manage. At the moment, I am happy with him and his performance, he has two years on his contract. We have nothing to say," Pochettino said when asked about Gallagher's long-term future at the club.

Chelsea's best midfielder for a reason

Chelsea spent more than £200million on both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernadez, but it's fair to say Gallagher has been the best player at the club this season. His performances against Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City are evidence of his ball-hunting ability that have made the Blues look so good during big games.

This season he's got four assists, more than any other Blues midfielder, and he's also won the most duels (90) and recoveries (81) showing his pressing ability. Chelsea's recent history has been built on success, but Pochettino knows that while Gallagher might not possess the tenacity of N'Golo Kante or the skill of Cesc Fabregas, he's got the right attitude. That's why against Manchester United, Chelsea looked lost without him.