The highly-rated 18-year-old winger made his Chelsea debut last January but has only played six times this season.

The Blues have reportedly rejected a £20m offer from Bayern Munich for the England Under-19 international.

"He's a very good player, the potential is for becoming a great player, and now he has to improve," Sarri said.

"He has to improve, I think, in movement without the ball.

"As a winger, he has to improve in the defensive phase, but he has the potential to become a very important player, not only for English football I think but for European football."

Hudson-Odoi, who has come through the Chelsea academy, featured in the Community Shield at the start of the season but has since only played four Europa League games, scoring once, before making his first Premier League appearance of the season as a substitute on Boxing Day.

Sarri admitted it is difficult to balance winning with promoting young talent at Chelsea.

Asked if young players like Hudson-Odoi need to be more patient, the Italian said: "Also the fans sometimes, also the club sometimes, and so I am in the middle. I have to win.

"It's not easy at this level to take the young players from the academy and he's ready to play, not only here, everywhere in Europe."