Manchester City v Huddersfield Town: Chelsea loanee on N'Golo Kante, Levi Colwill and staying tough

It has a lot to do with the word ‘tackle’.

Huddersfield’s midfield loan recruit, who has joined from Chelsea for the rest of 2023-24, said: “For me, it’s a tackle. I love to tackle and put a lot of tackles in and that’s what fires me a lot. I don’t feel very happy if I don’t put a tackle in."

So, the young tyro likes a tackle, then.

A bit like his footballing hero; the incomparable N’Golo Kante – that unassuming, but devastating little big man who governed the centre of the pitch with such authority for the blues of Chelsea, Leicester and France.

Matos did not just rub shoulders with him towards the end of his glorious association with the Stamford Bridge outfit, he played alongside him. In a trial game as well.

That came when he stepped out for Chelsea under-23s against Charlton in March. He had Kante for company, but still managed to muster two assists and a goal.

Matos made the full-time move to Chelsea from Norwich City in May - with the Londoners beating off interest in the 19-year-old from Newcastle United and Southampton.

His time at Huddersfield will hopefully form part of a narrative which will one day see him patrolling the engine room for Chelsea, like his idol did.

Matos said: “It was strange because in that week, I was playing for Norwich on the Monday and on the Thursday, I was playing with Kante.

"He inspired me and I try and emulate his game as much as possible. He’s quiet, but very humble and everyone loves him. He’s a very good role model to have."

A decade ago, if you’d asked many emerging Chelsea players to find Huddersfield on a map, then chances are that they may have struggled.

Not so these days. Huddersfield’s contacts at the Bridge have seen a succession of young footballers head north to the equivalent of finishing school, from the likes of Izzy Brown and Kasey Palmer to Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill, with the latter coming of age as a player and a man in his time in West Yorkshire.

There is a justifiable swell of pride at Town at their part in the development and rise of Colwill, now a Premier League regular and a defender who is surely destined for a long and successful future with England if things go to plan.

The next to make the trip up the M1 is Matos, with a glowing reference from Colwill providing reassurance.

Matos, who had interest from other Championship clubs, commented: "I spoke to Levi the day before I came down and he said it was a very good place to come and play.

"Everyone is appreciative and they are good people. He had very good comments about the club.

"Izzy Brown, Jaden Brown and Kasey Palmer have all done relatively well here and Levi came and played two years ago and did really well and now he is excelling and it’s fantastic to see.

"I will experience a lot being here. Not just on the pitch, but the people around, especially off the pitch. I will be living by myself and getting to know myself a little bit better.

"It will be a fantastic experience and I want to learn a lot of new things from people around the club. It will be fantastic for me, regardless of the situation."

On the parting message he received from Mauricio Pochettino, in the process of building a new-look, young and hungry Chelsea, he added: “Poch is a great gaffer and just wants to see me play and do very well and come back to pre-season on a different level, like a different man with more experience. That’s pretty much it."

Matos’s Town education starts at the home of the 2022-23 treble winners on Sunday; a daunting arena for any teenage footballer to make their debut.

Given that he played a trial game alongside his hero, the teen is unlikely to be fazed, even if Kevin de Bruyne is lurking in the vicinity. That was pressure, this is surely fun.

Matos could well have a senior enforcer for company again in Jonathan Hogg, should he get the nod on Sunday.

Should Matos earn Hogg’s respect, then it will provide early encouragement.

His liking for a tackle indicates that Matos can look after himself. Although he should do really, hailing from the rugby-mad town of Bedford.

Matos, who made his senior Chelsea debut from the bench against Fulham in October, said: “When I went to a private school in Norwich, I played a bit of rugby and used to play a bit from year six to nine and then I stopped playing.

"It was quite hard work, but I was good. I remember playing a lot of games and sometimes, I’d play rugby in the morning and go and train for Norwich in the afternoon. It was good at the time.”

Football is in the blood of the Matos family. His younger sibling Jeyda, 15, is on the books of Norwich and is cut from similar cloth.

Matos said: “He’s very similar to me – a good tackler and good with both feet. He’s one to watch for sure."