Kal Naismith explained to Jay Whittle how hard it was training with Chelsea full-back Reece James when they were together at Wigan Athletic.
The Chelsea youngster enjoyed a highly successful loan spell with the Latics in 2018/19.
There he played alongside Naismith, who now features for Luton Town.
The pair were reunited when Chelsea defeated Luton in the FA Cup fourth round last month.
This brought back memories for Naismith of their Wigan days and how tough James was to train with.
“He’s ridiculous player, scary scary good,” he said.
“I remember at Wigan if anybody got the ball and Reece came to them, they’d just take a touch and pass it.
“Nobody wanted him to get near you. He was too strong, too powerful. Just take the ball off you, make you feel like a kid.”
Even before the Blues took on their Championship opponents in the cup, Naismith had James on his mind.
“Going into the game, I knew I was left wing back he was right wing back.
“In the back of my mind, I thought if I get the ball and he does come close to me, I just need to give it someone else because I’ve not got a great chance of getting past this kid.
“Nobody can get past him in the Premier League.”
James worked up his experience with Wigan in the second division before becoming a Chelsea regular.
He was named the clubs Player of the Year, having made 46 appearances across all competitions.
Frank Lampard recalled him back to the Blues the following campaign and has been a mainstay of the side ever since.
Although Thomas Tuchel is yet to settle on a consistent starting XI, it seems James will certainly be part of the German’s long-term plans.
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