Reece James urged people to value his former Chelsea teammate and lifelong friend Tammy Abraham more highly.
Abraham certainly gained a few more admiring looks over the weekend after he cemented himself into Roma’s record books.
The 24-year-old scored twice yesterday as Jose Mourinho’s side claimed a massive victory in the derby against Lazio.
That means the England international has netted 23 times across all competitions this season, the most of any player in their debut campaign for Roma.
He tops legendary centre-forward Gabriel Batistuta and Vincenzo Montella, who both managed 21 goals in their first terms as a Roman.
Tammy talks the talk and walks the walk
Not many could’ve predicted Abraham’s awesome return after he left Chelsea last summer.
Now, those who previously doubted him should have changed their tune entirely.
But there will always be the small huddle of haters, finding joy in providing misery.
To the collection of critics, James had a very simple message.
‘Numbers don’t lie. Pay some respect please,’ wrote the Chelsea defender on his Instagram story.
You’re right, Reece, the digits definitely tell the truth.
Goals galore
Since the turn of the year, Abraham has rippled the net on nine occasions in Serie A and twice more in two other competitions.
His total tally is one ahead of Harry Kane, with the two attackers set to share England’s dressing room over the next few weeks.
Romelu Lukaku hit the dozen-goal mark during Chelsea’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Lukaku actively replaced Abraham in Thomas Tuchel’s squad; perhaps the German coach will be wishing the trade-off never happened.
Whilst one number nine continues to shine in his settings, the other has struggled to find any kind of consistency.
Granted, the Premier League and Italy’s top flight are two entirely different ball games.
But Tammy can only defeat what’s in front of him, so take absolutely nothing away from his accomplishments.
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