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Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola says Cole Palmer "lights up his eyes" and has urged him to target being one of the best players in the world.

The 22-year-old has 28 goals and 16 assists since the start of last season, more than any other player in the Premier League, and is widely regarded as Chelsea's star player.

When asked about the England international's form, Zola said at Leaders Week London: "I’m very impressed with Palmer because he’s doing amazing things and has been doing them for more than a season now.

"He’s probably one of the players that has surprised me the most. I could see straight away that he had qualities, but I didn’t see all of this coming.

"He has the ability to entertain. He always produces good passes and very good assists. What I love about him is when he receives the ball he is always looking up and many times he has the pass in mind before he receives the ball. This is a quality only the really big players have. I’m impressed.

"In the last game, I saw a wonderful free kick from him, which is something that lights up my eyes all the time.

"This is all down to him and the people who have coached and helped him. Now he needs to continue because he is becoming a sensational player."

Despite Palmer's outstanding form, Zola believes the England forward must not grow complacent but instead aim to become a world star.

"You never settle for what you have achieved," Zola said. "The big players want to be the man of the match, then the player of the month, then the best in the year and then the best in the country and abroad.

"You have to have this ambition, to get better all the time, because the demands of modern football are very high.

"If you don’t have high motivation you can’t make it."