Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has opened up on his careful plan to protect Reece James from further injury setbacks by redefining his role on the pitch. Speaking on the club captain's fitness, Maresca explained that using James in midfield is a deliberate strategy aimed at reducing physical strain while keeping him influential.
As previously reported by SoftFootball , the Chelsea manager believes James' growing leadership has gone hand in hand with smarter load management rather than raw physical demands.
James' injury history has been well documented, with 15 separate setbacks across the past five seasons. Maresca's solution has been to move him away from the traditional fullback role, which demands repeated long sprints.
