Jose Mourinho believes Cesc Fabregas has joined Chelsea in the prime of his career but will have to prove himself at Stamford Bridge.
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Fabregas signed a five-year contract when his 27 million pound move was completed from Barcelona last week and revealed Mourinho had convinced him "very, very quickly" to sign for the club.
Mourinho thinks Chelsea have signed the 27-year-old at the right age but he still wants Fabregas to earn his place in the team.
"I think he is the kind of player who will come and train for a couple of weeks and be ready to prove himself," Mourinho told ITV.
"He is the kind of player we need. Not just for his qualities as a player but also his competitive personality.
"He is a player in the best years of his career -- 26, 27, 28. He knows England well, he knows the Premier League well, so he will not need time to adapt."
Fabregas admitted Barcelona had tried to stop his transfer to west London and said his former club Arsenal passed up on their first option to re-sign him because they already had Mesut Ozil.