Enzo Maresca has provided an important fitness update on Chelsea captain Reece James ahead of the Blues’ trip to Liverpool this weekend.
James, who has been sidelined for an extended period, last featured in a competitive match under former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Although he made some appearances during pre-season, a setback extended his time away from the pitch.
However, after returning to first-team training this week following a lengthy recovery from a hamstring injury, Maresca has confirmed that James is now available for selection.
This news will come as a significant boost for Chelsea as they prepare for the crucial clash against Liverpool.
“No, finally we are all available. So we have all the squad available apart from the suspended ones,” Maresca said.
He continued: “He (Reece James) is available.
“Finally he is back.
“He worked with us all the international break and it’s good news, especially for him because the injury is not a good feeling.
“So finally he is back.”
“It’s always complicated when you get injuries, it is not easy,” he added.
“So you are always looking for a solution.
“A possible solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week and [playing] one game, because probably in this moment for different reasons, Reece’s body cannot play twice a week.
“So probably one of the solutions is that we want to try to manage him in the same way we are doing with Wes and Romeo.”
When asked if using James once a week was a long-term or short-term solution, Maresca responded: “In this moment I think it can be the solution now.
“In the future, I don’t know.
“But if we want to build something with him in terms of physicality and physical condition, probably the solution is to allow him to go slowly and to use him once a week and then hopefully in the future, we can use him more during the week.
“But in this moment, probably we need to use him once a week.”
Chelsea will be without both Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana for this weekend’s game due to one-match suspensions after they received their fifth yellow cards of the season against Nottingham Forest.
With Reece James returning to fitness, manager Enzo Maresca may face a selection dilemma in the long term.
Malo Gusto has excelled during James’s absence, showcasing his versatility by playing both left-back and midfield.
Gusto’s adaptability opens up the possibility of both defenders featuring in the same starting XI at some point.
Axel Disasi has also played right-back this season and is among the candidates who could partner established centre-back Levi Colwill, along with Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile.
On the left side, Renato Veiga has filled in at left-back on several occasions since his arrival this summer.
Meanwhile, Ben Chilwell made a substitute appearance against Barrow, although Maresca noted that the England defender only returned to training on Thursday after missing the earlier part of the week due to illness.
On the prospect of replacing the suspended Cucurella and Fofana, Maresca said: “It’s not a problem.
“I said since we started I’m very happy with the squad and the players that we are using.
“Since we started, we have tried to share the minutes between the competitions we have.
“We have two suspended players who can’t play, so we will find different players who can play.”
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