Reece James to return against Liverpool but Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admits there is a problem

Reece James will play for Chelsea this weekend in what will be his first outing of the season.

The Blues travel to face each other Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday with his club captain set to take part in the Premier League match.

James has not appeared since the penultimate game of last season after aggravating a problematic hamstring injury during the preseason.

After missing much of the second half of last season, the right-back is eager to return and, while Enzo Maresca revealed the good news about his availability, he admitted that there is a problem.

“He's available, he's finally back,” said Blues boss Maresca. “He worked with us during the international break. It's good news, especially for him.

“It's complicated when you get injured, you get injured, you get injured. You are always looking for a solution.

“The solution with Reece is probably the same as with Romeo (Lavia) and Wes, in terms of only using them once a week.

“Right now, Reece's body can't play twice a week. One of the solutions is that we will try to handle it the same way.

“In the future, I don't know, but if we want to improve his fitness, probably the solution is to allow him to go slowly and use it once a week.”

Taking a cautious approach to James' fitness could be wise given his lack of game action in recent seasons.

Over the past two seasons, the England international has made just 26 combined Premier League appearances as knee and hamstring injuries persisted.

The 2023-24 campaign was particularly frustrating for James, who missed 29 games from December to May.

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He received a red card against Brighton in May in his first start in five months for a dangerous tackle on striker Joao Pedro, resulting in him missing the game. ChelseaThe last game of the season.

Maresca, who has taken advantage of his enviable squad since taking over by selecting a different eleven for league and cup matches, has been able to call on the impressive Malo Gusto at right-back, with the 21-year-old French international proving to be a more than capable deputy. .

“It's difficult but it's nice because you know that one of them, the one I choose, is going to do well,” said Maresca. “This is a good feeling.

“First of all, Reece has to be fit, then little by little we will see. We have many players who are versatile and can play in different positions.”