Reece James believes he’s finally put his injuries behind him but admitted there were times where his confidence took a hit and he doubted himself.
James is currently with the Chelsea squad on their pre-season tour of America and came through 45 minutes unscathed in the 2-2 against Wrexham on Wednesday evening.
The 24-year-old will be hoping to further build his fitness and match sharpness as the tour progresses, but he’s unfortunately suspended for the first three games of the new campaign after being sent off against Brighton at the back end of last season.
James believes he’s put his injuries behind him
James was named club captain by Mauricio Pochettino last season, but his campaign was ruined by a hamstring injury he picked up in December which he underwent surgery on.
The right back has been plagued by injuries over the last couple of seasons, and each time he’s come back he’s got injured again shortly after.
James returned to action against Nottingham Forest in May after over four months out and got an assist within five minutes of coming on, but he was limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions, with just five of those coming as starts.
However, James believes he’s finally put his injuries behind him, but admitted there were times when he doubted himself and lacked confidence.
“There were times before where I would think, ‘Can I do this? Can I do that?’ he told ESPN.
“When you have that doubt, you don’t feel full confidence. Most recently, I’ve definitely felt like that fear’s gone and I feel free again.”
James knows that he needs to stay fit this season and admitted his only goal for the new season was to stay on the pitch.
The academy graduate will have a key role to play under Maresca, which could be different from what he’s used to as he’s likely going to have to invert into midfield.
Everyone associated with the club will hope that James can stay injury free because he’s a real game changer if he’s fully fit and performing at his best.
