Enzo Maresca says he will only use Chelsea captain Reece James once a week in a bid to help him avoid another injury.
James is available for selection for the first time this season against Liverpool on Sunday having recovered from a hamstring strain suffered during pre-season.
This weekend’s fixture will mark 562 days since James last played a full game in the Premier League. He has started just 19 times for Chelsea in the top division since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, mainly due to the amount of injuries he has suffered.
Maresca said: “He (James) is available, finally he is back. He worked all through the international break. It is good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling.
“It is complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It is not easy. You are always looking for a solution. Probably the solution with Reece is the same we are using with Romeo (Lavia) and Wesley (Fofana) in terms of using them just once a week, one game.
“In this moment, for different reasons, Reece’s body cannot play twice a week so one of the solutions is we will try to manage him.”
Chelsea have an intense fixture list for the rest of the year due to their involvement in the UEFA Conference League. They also have an EFL Cup Fourth Round game at Newcastle at the end of the month.
When asked if using James on a minimal basis is just a short-term measure, Chelsea’s head coach added: “In this moment it can be the solution. In the future I do not know, but if we want to build something with him in terms of physical condition, probably the solution is to allow him to go slowly, slowly and then in the future we can use him more during the week. But in this moment we need to think about using him once a week.”
Chelsea have no injury problems ahead of their trip to Anfield, but Marc Cucurella and Fofana are suspended. Ben Chilwell has resumed training after illness.
(W. Henderson/Getty Images)
