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Owen Hargreaves believes Reece James’ versatility should not represent a barrier to him fulfilling his abundant potential.
The 22-year-old has firmly established himself as a key component of Thomas Tuchel’s first XI having ousted captain Cesar Azpilicueta with a series of outstanding displays as an attack-minded right wing-back.
England are blessed with a number of ultra-talented players in that position but James is now rivalling the likes of Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold for a place in Gareth Southgate’s England side.
A midfield injury crisis, however, forced Tuchel to deploy James in a central midfield role in last night’s pulsating 3-3 draw against Zenit Saint Petersburg in the Champions League.
James equipped himself well, prompting Hargreaves to compare the youngster to former Chelsea star Michael Essien who was at the heart of two title-winning sides.
‘You know who he reminds me of a little bit when he plays in there?’ Hargreaves said on BT Sport. ‘Essien! He’s powerful but with much better feet.
‘The thing is he can cover ground, he can play on his own he can get up against people one vs one. He’s such a great player.
‘I don’t think he’s gone one (a weakness). He’s the most complete of all of them. I don’t think Reece has a weakness.
‘Trent offensively maybe has got more of a wand but Reece has I think got more defensively. It it’s a one-off game you play Kyle Walker if it’s to win something.
But Reece has got the biggest potential of them all and the highest ceiling.
‘When Kante doesn’t play they need someone else. Kovacic was…
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Source : metro
