Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix has offered words of encouragement to goalkeeper Mike Penders following his costly mistake, insisting that the young shot-stopper has the talent to learn from the setback.

Lacroix stressed the importance of supporting Penders during a difficult moment, noting that mistakes are part of football and the learning process for young players.

“He is a young goalkeeper, and he has a lot of talent,” Lacroix said.

The defender acknowledged that errors can happen at any stage of a football career and urged his teammates to stand behind the goalkeeper rather than allow the incident to undermine his confidence.

“He will learn from this. This can happen in football careers and in life; everyone makes mistakes, and we have to be with him, and we are going to be with him. We are behind him,” he added.

Lacroix also expressed confidence in Penders’ ability to make a positive contribution for the remainder of the season, insisting that the team must now return the support the goalkeeper is expected to provide on the pitch.

“He will help us this season, and now we have to help him,” he said.