Ben Chilwell has admitted he wasn’t aware of how strong Chelsea teammate Reece James was until his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Chilwell, 23, joined the Blues in the summer transfer window from Leicester City and has made an excellent start in London by quickly establishing himself in the XI at left-back.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old James is his opposite full-back partner on the right and the duo provide such a dangerous attacking threat when they fly forward.
Despite being renowned for his pinpoint crossing, James is also a powerhouse right-back with great athleticism and the defensive side of his game has started to improve massively.
The youngster played on Thursday night during England’s win over Republic of Ireland and has returned to Chelsea due to his upcoming suspension, while club teammate Chilwell has remained with Gareth Southgate’s squad and is likely to play in the Nations League.
Chilwell has given a glowing verdict on James:
“I didn’t know until I came here how strong Reece actually was and how well he uses his body when he’s defending,” Chilwell said in a newly released video that was recored last weekend.
“For someone who’s only 20 years old the maturity that he shows when he defends he is an unbelievable talent. Everyone likes to talk about how good he is going forward, but defensively he’s top as well.”
James and Chilwell look like they are going to be the long-term full-back combination at Chelsea for years to come, something that could also on the international stage.
They are both exciting young players that will be learning so much from experienced centre-back Thiago Silva in the heart of defence and it’s exciting for Blues supporters to see how they develop this season.
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