New Delhi [India], July 25 : Chelsea captain Reece James outlined his plans for the upcoming season after a string of injuries kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the time last year.
The English full-back's last season was plagued by a recurring hamstring injury and other injuries as well. Throughout Chelsea's campaign, he made only 11 appearances across all competitions. The 24-year-old provided two assists in his limited number of appearances as well.
He managed to regain his fitness in May and made just two appearances in the Premier League. He got sent off in the penultimate clash against Brighton after receiving a red card. As a result, he will miss a couple of matches in the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.
In the upcoming season, Chelsea will play under the new leadership of head coach Enzo Maresca. The Italian's predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, parted ways with the club earlier in the year.
Under the new reign of Maresca, James revealed his plans while speaking to reporters, and said, as quoted by Goal.com, "I am one to push the boundaries, and sometimes that has caused problems for myself and the team, but that is something I'm trying to get better at. I don't want to make mistakes and put my team at risk."
"I would like to think I'm in a good place now. I had a long off-season, and I've got a long pre-season because I'm serving a four-game ban, but I'm in a good place. There are a lot of adjustments to make in the new system. Whenever a new manager comes in, there is a lot to take on board, but we are excited, and I can't wait to get started," he added.
James was a part of Chelsea's first pre-season game against the League One side Wrexham in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday.
He played the first half and was replaced by Wesley Fofana for the next 45 minutes. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Christopher Nkunku and Lesley Ugochukwu featuring on the scoresheet for Chelsea. Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott netted a goal each for Wrexham.
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