Hull City loanee Harvey Vale not short of advice after coming through Chelsea's prolific academy

The captain of England's European Under-19 Championship-winning side has come through the ranks at Chelsea, one of English football's most productive academies, even if in plenty of cases – most notably Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah – other clubs feel the benefit.

Now it is the Tigers hoping to tap in, having taken Nathan Baxter, Xavier Simons and Vale on loan from Stamford Bridge this season. Deadline-day arrivals Simons and Vale could make their Championship debuts at home to Stoke City on Tuesday.

As well as his international experience, 18-year-old winger Vale has played in the League and FA Cups for Chelsea, including London derbies against Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur, and the Football League Trophy at League Two Sutton United this season for the Under-21s. But nothing is quite like the Championship.

Given Chelsea's notoriously prolific use of the loan system, there are always team-mates to pass on advice and one of those Vale turned to was Levi Colwill, so outstanding at Huddersfield Town last season that Brighton and Hove Albion made getting him on loan a condition of Marc Cucurella's move to Chelsea.

"He told me about the league and how relentless it is but if you do well it's a massive platform for your career because everyone knows how tough it is to survive and thrive in the Championship," says Vale, a confident presence in front of the Zoom camera.

"It's game after game after game and I've got to get my body used to it and try and be as robust as possible."

It is something Hull will have to be wary of, given how many of their summer signings have struggled to physically adapt to the division. As Ozan Tufan came back from a muscle injury on Sunday, Benjamin Tetteh picked one up, like Dogukan Sinik did in pre-season. Vaughn Cowill's first season at Hull could already be over thanks to a knee injury and with Allahyar Sayyadmanes, James Scott, Greg Docherty, Brandon Fleming and Jean Michael Seri (another summer signing but not new to the division) also out, plus Adama Traore and Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand joining with injuries, coach Shota Arveladze has to be careful with Hull's precious gifts.

Vale reckons he had "four or five days off" between the European Championships and going on pre-season with Chelsea's first team.

"We just don't have enough training sessions," argues Arveladze, with some justification. "From July 30 to September 4 we played nine games! That's a minimum of nine days off, nine matchdays, add nine preparation days before each match and that's already 27 days out of 36.

"I'm not in a position to cry – this is the league."

Vale will not cry either, seeing this as a necessary part of his education with his heart set on making it at Chelsea, the club he first played for as an under-13.

"I felt like I did last season in the (under-)23s and a bit of the season before as well," he says. “I think it is time to get into the professional men's game and I thought it was the right next step after a great summer at the Euros.

"In pre-season I was thinking about going on loan so I spoke to a few of the boys who've done it – Mason (Mount, who spent 2018-19 at Derby County), for example. He was saying it was tough at first but it's part of growing up.

"At my age people go off to uni and stuff like that."

Vale comes across as a sponge for information.

"I watch a lot of football, I think it's important," he says, "but I don't model myself particularly on one player, I try to take different bits from different players' games. When I was younger I used to watch Wayne Rooney quite a lot, nowadays it's Kevin de Bruyne, Mason Mount and those sort of players.

"Because (Arveladze) was an attacker as a player his detail with the attackers I've certainly noticed.

"I actually saw Nathan Baxter in Cobham on deadline day. He came to the training ground and had a chat with me. He said how he was enjoying it, how well last season went and he'd definitely recommend it. He said it'd be tough because there's lots of competition (for places).

"Every day the changing room has been good, telling me the best places to live and stuff like that.

"Having Xavs (Simons) here has definitely helped me settle. It wasn't planned like this, it was so last minute I messaged him on deadline day to say I was driving up and I'd see him in a bit!"

The learning even applies to the positions he plays. The left-footed winger was mainly used at wing-back by England in the summer."I've played quite a few positions – I even played goalkeeper once in the under-12s!" he says. "I feel like that benefits me because it means I've got a tactical understanding of most of the positions.

"Certainly when you're a young player I think it's good to have knowledge of all positions. You see players growing up and playing as strikers then ending up as centre-backs or the opposite way around so to have the knowledge of different game scenarios and different positions is only going to help."

At least he should never be short of “phone a friends”.