Zouma happy to wait for his chance at Chelsea
Kurt Zouma is happy to bide his time and wait for his chance to feature in Jose Mourinho's plans at Chelsea.
Chelsea signed the 19-year-old from Saint-Etienne in January, but allowed the defender to return on loan to the Ligue 1 outfit until the end of 2013-14.
Yet to feature in a competitive game for Chelsea, Zouma has seen his path blocked by well-established first-team regulars at the heart of the defence, with captain John Terry and Gary Cahill forming Mourinho's first-choice pairing.
But the France Under-21 international is confident that his chance will arrive and Zouma also has one eye on making the national squad when his country host the European Championships in 2016.
"When I was at Saint-Etienne and I didn't play, I immediately got upset. But I learnt," he told L'Equipe.
"Now there are senior players, stars in my position, and they are doing a great job. I take my time. I am learning besides those defenders. I know my time will come.
"Jose Mourinho told me: 'Raphael Varane, I made him start against Manchester City. You have to be ready to play at any moment'.
"I am using Varane and [Eliaquim] Mangala as role models. Nowadays they are in the French team and I hope to join them.
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"Euro 2016 is an objective I set to myself. Even if it will be very difficult to get a position, the door is not so far away."