Chelsea defender Reece James said he picked up “a bit of a knock” during Saturday’s 4-0 win over Burnley.
The 22-year-old was arguably the most influential Chelsea player on the pitch at the weekend.
His opening goal pretty much forced Burnley to abandon their game plan which led to a more open game.
The Blues capitalised on this by adding three more goals in the second half through Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
Unfortunately, James took a knock, and Tuchel, who understandably refused to take any risk, replaced him with Ruben Loftus-Cheek shortly after.
After the game, Tuchel highlighted how Chelsea had missed James, as well as Ben Chilwell, for weeks and insisted their absences had a big impact on their previous results.
On a positive note, at least the Blues manager will not have to worry about losing James now.
“It has been a while since I have played in the Premier League,” James said after the game (via Chelsea’s official website)
“I am happy to be back fit again and to help the team out.
“I picked up a bit of a knock [against Burnley] but it is alright now, and we move on to the next game.”
The England international has now had five goals and six assists in the Premier League this season.
It puts him second in terms of goal contributions in the competition for Chelsea after Mason Mount (seven goals and six assists).
It is safe to say that Tuchel will heavily rely on him in the next few matches, particularly given Cesar Azpilicueta’s recent injury absence.
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