Chelsea have an obligation to buy Jadon Sancho at the end of the season (Image: Getty)
has name-dropped the star who gives him the toughest time in training.
Sancho joined the Blues on loan from last summer and has contributed to six goals in 18 appearances. Having fallen out with former Red Devils boss , the 24-year-old is seemingly on better terms with manager , and he has shown flashes of his best work this season.
The Londoners’ bloated squad ensures that training games are always competitive. And Sancho has admitted that he struggles to get the better of , whose approach to defending is the perfect counter to his style of wing play.
When asked which player is the toughest to come up against in training, Sancho told : “Reece James. He’s good at reading play. Especially what I do, when I stop and start. He’s good at reading that, but not all the time.”
James has been the captain since 2023 but persistent injury issues have forced others to wear the armband more often than not. The 25-year-old has only managed 486 Premier League minutes this season, despite being one of the first names on the team sheet when fit.
Hamstring injuries have been the major bugbear for James, who has missed 21 games this season after sitting out 38 last term.
Reece James has missed a huge chunk of this season due to injury (Image: Getty)
He has been gradually phased back into first-team action since mid-January and Maresca hopes his skipper will be available for the foreseeable future. “We are very happy that finally he is back for us,” the Italian said last week.
“We consider Reece to be a top player, one of the best players we have, and for sure he is going to help us from now on. Since the start Reece is improving, he is getting better.
“I’ve said many times that all captains have to be a good example with all of their team-mates, especially in this team when we have many young players. He is trying to make an effort in terms of this kind of thing, in terms of leadership. He is doing that in general – it is during the training sessions, in the changing room, all of the time.”
James and Sancho could be back in action when travel to Brighton for a Premier League clash on Friday evening, following their FA Cup fourth-round showdown at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night.