Chelsea face fresh concern as Reece James return provokes telling Enzo Maresca reaction

The sight of returning to training on Tuesday was a joy to behold for supporters and his fellow players. Most notably, the reaction of was telling.

The Italian wore a beaming grin on his face after working closely with the Blues captain. But that moment of jubilation could soon be replaced by the feeling of dread when Maresca turns to his teamsheet to select his starting XI against Liverpool.

After using James in a three-man defence in pre-season, he was forced to make changes to his personnel when James picked up a recurrence of his long-running hamstring issue. The right-back underwent surgery in Finland last year that forced him to miss the rest of the season, only to suffer a setback prior to the opening day of the campaign.

The 24-year-old has been plagued by injury over the past two seasons and is yet to feature in the Premier League this season. He has managed just 35 appearances in the last two and a bit seasons - in 2021-22 alone, he managed 39 outings.

Malo Gusto has been used in a hybrid defensive midfield role to combine with his usual duties as a full-back and the Frenchman has looked solid under Maresca. On other occasions, he has trusted Marc Cucurella to drift inside from the opposite flank.

Many see James as the ideal fit for such a role, given his composure on the ball. But his return to training begs the question: just how is Maresca going to find a place for him?

On his day, there aren't many better full-backs in the world than James, who has a unique ability to send in teasing crosses when pushed up to the byline. But Maresca's system doesn't give the Cobham star much opportunity to flourish.

For one, there isn't the same freedom for defenders, with three centre-backs remaining deep in possession and the inverted full-back floating in the midfield areas. With the right-back position now almost defunct, James would have to settle for the hybrid role or slot in as a third centre-back.

Both jobs demand a level of fitness that he simply doesn't have yet. Of course, James will only improve that through match practice, and while Maresca will have ample opportunities to give him some minutes, Chelsea will be wary about pushing the Cobham graduate back into the action too quickly.

Maresca has also lamented the issue of having too many players in his squad to manage, which was evident when £30million signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was absent from the matchday squad despite being fit. James, while an influential member of the squad, is merely an additional player the 44-year-old to juggle in his bloated squad.

The positive is that if the England international can rediscover his best form, Chelsea will only get better. They won just 22 per cent of the games without him in 2022-23, compared to 44 per cent with him.

No one will be more hungry to get back on the pitch than James. He is a player who embodies everything about Chelsea, and the sooner he returns to action, the better for all involved.