Ghana coach Avram Grant says Baba Abdul Rahman would need more time to settle in into becoming a regular first team player at Chelsea.

The 21-year-old has struggled to command regular playing time since joining the Blues as an expensive signing in the summer.

Rahman was signed from Augsburg in a deal worth not less than €21m.

He was signed as a direct replacement for Felipe Luiz who himself struggled for game time in his brief stint at Stamford Bridge.

Even though a lot have been said of Baba’s youthful exuberance and tenacity, Jose Mourinho has largely stuck to the likes of Cesar Azpilucueta and Branislav Ivanovic despite Chelsea’s shambolic defensive form this term.

And Ghana coach Avram Grant who admits he is not happy with the bench-warming duties of some of the players he heavily relies on believes the former Greuther Furth man will need more time to become a real force at Chelsea.

“Baba Rahman until now was playing good until now when he joined Chelsea,” he said.

“But you have to understand that he is young and this is his first year in the Premier League.

“It is not easy to play in a Premier League and I see that he has played some games but I don’t know what is happening there.

“I am not happy about this situation but you have to know it is not easy for him.”

Baba Rahman’s form in the 2-0 win over Comoros in the 2018 World Cup qualifier last month was widely criticized.

He lacked the fluidity in bombing forward to swing in crosses for attackers - a feature which once made him the most exciting left-back in the German Bundesliga.

It was not until Jeffery Schlupp came into the game as a replacement for the injured Solomon Asante that Ghana’s left-flank begun clicking in the win over Comoros.