says Reece James is the perfect ‘modern day footballer’ buT he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
made four changes from their shock 4-1 Premier League defeat by Brentford at the weekend with James one of those returning to the starting XI for tonight’s visit of Real Madrid.
The England international had a briliant start to the season in ’s system but picked up an injury at the start of the year and suffered another setback after testing positive for coronavirus.
His meteoric rise this season has seen him draw comparisons with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold as they battle for an England spot and legend Ferdinand feels the latter doesn’t get the praise he deserves for his passing.
‘Reece James… what a fantastic footballer. He’s the modern day footballer,’ Ferdinand said on BT Sport ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid tonight.
‘We talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold, he’s right up there with him, you can’t split them really.
‘They bring so much to the game. I think Reece will bring more goals but the passing, seriously, he doesn’t even get the recognition he deserves for his passing.
‘He’s got every club in the bag as well and once he gets into these areas [in the box] he can be devastating.
‘I think he’s got that physicality as well, he controls that right hand side now and he owns it.
‘His confidence is very different to when he first joined the team which is understandable.
‘When I was a player I wanted the team to miss me if I didn’t play. He’s in that boat, he’s in that place now where if he doesn’t play you notice a big difference in the team and the level drops slightly.’
James has already been in for a busy night upon his return though with a Karim Benzema brace putting Real Madrid 2-1 up at half-time.
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