Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed he was delighted with Reece James’ return despite winning the FIFA Club World Cup in his absence.
James only returned to action last week, having been out through injury since December 29 following the side’s league clash with Brighton.
In his return to the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, James netted a goal and an assist in his side’s 4-0 win over Burnley.
Speaking after his side’s victory on Saturday afternoon, Tuchel praised James for his instant impact on his return to action.
“We missed him for so long that we almost got used to it” said Tuchel, quoted by football.london. “I think it was like nine weeks and we played something like 25 games in that time.
“We were constantly trying to find solutions and we found solutions as a team, and we managed to win games and even trophies during this period.
“But once he’s back and playing three times, and the first time since the start, you see what we’ve been missing.
“Huge quality and it’s very impressive how decisive he is in training and in games.
“These positions are very important positions if you play with this structure and it’s the same on the left side.
“So it puts things in perspective when you see what we missed and I’m very happy that he came back like that.”
Chelsea’s other winger, Ben Chilwell, has also been out since the first half of the season with an ACL injury and is unlikely to return before the end of the current season.
