Ally McCoist held Reece James in very high regard following his excellent exhibition for Chelsea against Juventus in the Champions League last night.
Speaking on talkSPORT in light of the Blues 4-0 humbling of their Italian guests, McCoist saved a special mention for the England international.
James enjoyed another sparkling evening under the Stamford Bridge lights yesterday, putting in a performance that encapsulated his overall season.
With a combination of defensive domination and attacking prowess, the full-back was simply unstoppable at times on Tuesday.
Juve simply could not handle his runs down the right channel, nor could they prevent him from picking passes at will.
Reece’s rocket
Wojciech Szczesny did his best to keep the 21-year-old at bay, making two fine first-half stops to deny Chelsea’s full-back.
The goalkeeper’s efforts were eventually in vain, however, as James finally found the net at the third attempt after the break.
It would’ve taken a brick wall to stop his low, powerful drive, let alone a pair of human hands.
“He’s been phenomenal,” said McCoist of the Blues defender.
“His goal, it was the pace and the power that beats him (Szczesny).
“He had another shot maybe 10, 15 minutes early where the goalie makes a great save down to his right-hand side.
“He just looks like he’s in the form of his life, to be honest with you.
“The academy players coming through, three of them scored last night. And to top it all off, (Timo) Werner scored as well.”
Best of the Blue bunch
Along with James, Trevoh Chalobah and Callum Hudson-Odoi made it a match to remember for the staff at Cobham as they both scored in Europe.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek also added an assist to his name, completing the set of achievements from the academy graduates.
Werner concluded the result with stoppage time tap in, a simple finish owed largely to the quality of cross from Hakim Ziyech, who had one of his best games in a Chelsea shirt.
A comprehensive win that sent a message to the rest of the country and the continent.