Chelsea captain Reece James has jumped to the defence of team-mate Nicolas Jackson after Alan Shearer claimed that the striker isn't a natural goalscorer.
Newcastle legend Shearer, the Premier League's all-time leading scorer, angered Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino with his criticism of Jackson.
Jackson has endured some difficult moments since joining Chelsea from Villarreal in a £32million summer move but he scored a hat-trick in the victory against Tottenham.
James believes that Jackson is heading in the right direction and insisted that his hat-trick will provide him with a significant confidence boost.
As reported by The Sun, James said: 'I don't think he's needed a pick-me-up once. He is one of the most energetic guys.
'He knows his ability and why he is at Chelsea.
'As a striker, you go through spells when you don't score or miss chances.
'He just has to keep working hard. That is what he's done and he got his reward.
'I'm happy for him. It's a huge confidence boost for anyone to get a hat-trick, especially against such a good side.'
Speaking on Match of the Day, Shearer claimed Jackson 'is not a natural goalscorer' and that it 'looks as if he needs a lot of help in that position'.
That provoked an angry response from Pochettino, who stated that it is too early to draw such conclusions. The Chelsea boss labelled Shearer's criticism 'dangerous'.
Pochettino said: 'You need more matches to come to that (Shearer's) opinion,
'If you watch the game against Liverpool, Dortmund or Luton, in different circumstances he’s a different player. It is dangerous to make this analysis on one game.
'Nico was not at his best, but if you watch him in other games he’s one player, if you see [the] Brentford [game] he’s another player. We have to
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