Joe Cole was full of praise for Chelsea star Marc Guiu after he scored a first-half hat-trick in the club's 5-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.
After beating Brentford on Sunday to move within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, Enzo Maresca opted to field a rotating squad for the Europa Conference match.
Among those who took advantage was Guiu, who started up front and put his side ahead after 22 minutes, taking advantage of a defensive mix-up to put the Blues ahead.
The visitors managed to get back on level terms through Markus Poom, but Guiu struck twice more in the first half as Chelsea maintained their perfect record in the league to lead the league stage of the Conference League.
After the match, Cole wondered why Barcelona allowed the teenager to make the move to Stamford Bridge.
“My thought about Mark Guiu is: how did Barcelona let him go?” Cole asked.
“When I see him play, and he's 18 years old, in two years this kid could be an established, incredible number nine.
“I think he can go to the limit because I look at him and all the things you can't teach him, he already has.
“He knows when to go into the box, his instincts, his aggression, he's brave.
“He can freshen up everything else in his game. And at 18 years old, and he's playing with a smile on his face, I think Barcelona made a real, real mistake there.”
After emerging from the Catalan club's famed La Masia academy, Guiu made his first-team debut for Barcelona last season, scoring his La Liga debut against Athletic Bilbao.
In July, Chelsea activated his £5 million release clause to bring the 18-year-old to Stamford Bridge on a five-year contract with the option of an additional year.
However, despite now scoring six goals in Europe, Guiu has been limited to one league appearance this season. He came on as a substitute in the opening weekend defeat to Manchester City.
Since then, the Spanish youth international has often struggled to even get a spot on the bench in the Premier League.
Cole added that Guiu could benefit from gaining more experience away from West London to continue his development.
“He's almost in a catch 22,” he added.
'He could probably go somewhere and play 20 games in the Premier League and he'll be a better player.
“But you wouldn't want to leave him and let him walk away from this club because I think he will have a say in the second half of the season.”
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