Chelsea: Enzo Maresca points to Reece James versatility as he explains Ben Chilwell exile | OneFootball

Chelsea captain James is fit again and Maresca is confident he has key role to play

Enzo Maresca believes Reece James has the talent to “play everywhere” but suggested Ben Chilwell’s lack of similar versatility is behind his Chelsea exile.

Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella are both enjoying fine seasons under Maresca’s inverted full-back system but James’s return from his latest hamstring injury adds to Chelsea’s options.

The club captain, who played 45 minutes against Morecambe in the FA Cup on Saturday, has excelled as an attacking, overlapping wing-back in the past but was also touted as a future midfielder early in his career while on loan at Wigan.

“He can play everywhere,” Maresca said. “Talking about positions, for me, today in football you have to be a football player playing in different positions. They are all football players and you can teach them to play in different positions.

“For sure, full-backs being used in that way, up and down, for them, it is probably physically using more energy. But I am not a fan of full-backs up and down. Our full-backs, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Cucurella, we don’t use them up and down.”

Chilwell has almost certainly played his last game for Chelsea after being left out of the squad for Saturday’s cup tie while the club seek to find a buyer.

The England international has made only one appearance this season - against Barrow in the Carabao Cup - and Maresca admits that is partly because does not see the left-back being able to perform the same role in his system.

“I can see Malo Gusto, Reece James or Cucurella doing different kind of jobs during the game,” he explained.

“Chilwell is a top full-back, probably doing the job up and down and that has given him the opportunity in the past to win titles, to be with international team. But I struggle to see Ben doing different type of things.”