Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca set Reece James the target of staying fit for the rest of the season after returning from his “lonely” spell on the sidelines with a dramatic equalizer against Bournemouth.
James has been plagued by hamstring injuries in recent years, limiting him to just five Premier League appearances this season.
He returned from his latest two-month break as Chelsea beat Morecambe 5-0 in the FA Cup last weekend, replacing Romeo Lavia as a second-half substitute on Tuesday.
Chelsea were staring at defeat when goals from Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo put Bournemouth 2-1 ahead, before James scored with a stunning free-kick in the 95th minute.
After scoring his first Premier League goal since August 2022 in a 2-2 draw against Tottenham, James told BBC Radio 5 Live it was a relief to be back.
“I haven't had that feeling in a long time,” James said. “It was lonely and frustrating. I'm very happy to be able to help the team again.”
Since making his Premier League debut in 2019, James has never made more than 25 starts in a single season at the top level, but he only reached that level in 2020/21.
He has made just 31 league appearances since the start of the 2022/2023 season, 22 of which were starts.
Maresca has set him the target of staying fit upon his return, comparing his set-piece skills to those of Chelsea's top scorer Cole Palmer.
“Reece can be compared to Cole in terms of free kicks because he is very good,” said Maresca.
“We chose Reece [to take it] and he scored, and we're all happy because at least we got a point. He deserved it, those moments are difficult for every player.
“The goal for him now is to stay fit until the end and he will help us the way we want to play.”
Chelsea will play Wolves in the Premier League next Monday before visiting reigning champions Manchester City on January 25.
Comments