The Dutchman has exceeded his own expectations at Watford after joining on a season’s loan from Chelsea but is waiting to see whether he has a future at Stamford Bridge under Antonio Conte

In the lobby of Watford’s training ground sits a familiar figure. On a sofa at the back of the room is Paulo Ferreira, the former Chelsea full-back and Champions League winner who is now “assistant loan player technical coach”. His job is to keep tabs on the 34 individuals the club has out on loan at the moment and he has just spoken to Nathan Aké, who is developing well under the wing of Quique Sánchez Flores at Watford.

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Aké’s temporary stint is only 15 miles away from Stamford Bridge but other players are dotted across Europe and one is in Brazil. The young loanees have created a WhatsApp group, in which they update their team-mates on their experiences. “Some of us went alone to clubs in other countries, so we chat in the group to see how everyone is getting on,” Aké says. “We are quite close, which is nice. I think it helps us with our football as well.”

The Dutch defender has been a regular part of a Watford team who travel to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday a comfortable 15th in the Premier League and play in an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace a week on Sunday. He has impressed at left-back, showing strong defensive qualities as well as helping to launch many attacks, and has surprised even himself by registering 21 starts in all competitions. “Before the season I thought it would be a good year if I managed to get 15 starts, with perhaps a few extra games as a sub,” he says. “I have worked really hard and it has turned out really well.”

He is happily settled in England but needed to be convinced to join Chelsea in 2011 at the age of 16. Aké initially wanted to stay in the Netherlands with Feyenoord but after visiting Chelsea’s headquarters in Cobham he opted to make the move. Together with his parents and brother he was shown around the facilities and met some of the first-team players.

“I remember Didier Drogba coming over to say hello,” Aké says. “He told us about the family atmosphere at the club and how everything worked. That was quite special, also because my dad is from Ivory Coast. After seeing the club from the inside, I realised its big extent.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nathan Aké tries to halt Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez during Watford’s FA Cup victory at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Aké was placed in a host family in London with a team-mate, and his brother was given a job at the club too. “He got a job in the Chelsea fan store but that wasn’t really for him,” Aké says. “Now he is enrolled at a university, which he really enjoys. He also started to play football in a university team.”

Aké himself quickly embraced a professional football routine at Chelsea. Starting in the youth ranks, he was selected to train with the squads of André Villas-Boas and his successor Roberto Di Matteo on occasions in his first season. But things really took off when Rafael Benítez arrived at Stamford Bridge at the end of 2012. In the absence of some first-team players, Aké was handed his debut aged 17 in a Premier League victory at Norwich City and was then able to train with the squad for the rest of the season. “I even got game time in some Europa League matches, some other Premier League matches and managed to make a start in an FA Cup match as well,” he recalls.

After Benítez left Chelsea in 2013, his promising start took a downward turn as Aké was assigned to the second team when José Mourinho took over. It was the first challenging moment in his career, which until then had seen only an upward trend.

“That was quite a difficult moment to be honest,” he says. “After winning the Europa League and the Young Player of the Year award, I was focused on continuing the process, so it came as a bit of a surprise.”

Although a potential loan move went through his mind, he realised his expectations were perhaps a bit high after a debut season in which he achieved more than he had expected. After a few days he put the disappointment behind him and did everything to regain his place in the first team. Reward arrived on the final day of the season with a substitute appearance at Cardiff but game time continued to be scarce under Mourinho despite compliments regarding his ability.

“I asked the manager what I could improve, if there were things I could adapt in my game,” he says. “But Mourinho said I was training well and performing well in the games I played but that I had to wait for my chance. And I could understand it, as there were so many big players at the club.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nathan Aké in action for Chelsea against Middlesbrough in February 2013 – one of the appearances he made under Rafael Benítez. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Although Aké did not play a lot, he liked Mourinho’s coaching style. “When you are playing a game and he is coaching on the sideline, you get the same emotion – you are going to run harder. He’s got that. He is good in transmitting his message, and tactically he is strong too. When you speak to him off the field, he is a really nice man as well. If you are having your breakfast at the club, and he is sitting next to you, you can talk about everything with him.”

Aké says it is the same with Sánchez Flores, a coach he also rates highly. “He is quieter than Mourinho, and talks with you about things after training sessions. He is good in tactically organising the team, like how we can compete against big teams for instance. I think our team responds well to his methods.”

The 21-year-old, who had a spell on loan at Reading last season, was rested for Watford’s most recent Premier League game, against Everton, but hopes to return on Saturday. Aké admits midfield remains his preferred position but is happy with the opportunities given to him by Sánchez Flores in defence.

“I realised this was a very important year for myself,” says Aké, who has a contract with Chelsea until 2020. “I don’t know yet where I will be next season. In principle I will report for pre-season at Chelsea but I don’t know their plans. Obviously they have a new manager [Antonio Conte] as well.”

He may not know what the future holds but with all the experience Aké gained this season, he is confident he can follow in the footsteps of defenders such as Ferreira and make the grade at Stamford Bridge.