Reece James praises 'incredible' Enzo Maresca and sheds light on his new role at Chelsea

Reece James has been hugely impressed by Enzo Maresca, describing the new Chelsea manager as “unbelievable”.

Maresca joined Chelsea earlier this summer after a brilliant season with Leicester in which he led the team to automatic promotion to the Premier League with 31 wins from 46 games.

The Italian, who worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before joining the Foxes, spoke about how A Premier League club made a last-ditch attempt for him before completing his move to Stamford Bridge.

But one man who is delighted Maresca has committed to the job in west London is James, who says exciting times lie ahead for the Blues under their new head coach.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, James said: “He's been amazing from the moment he arrived.

“His ideas and what he wants to do are very clear. Now it's just a matter of time and execution so that we can be the best, which is what he wants.”

Since the start of pre-season under Maresca, Chelsea's results have been mixed, to say the least.

A 2-2 draw with Wrexham was followed by a 4-1 defeat to Celtic; however, a 3-0 win over Club América was a marked improvement, but James says the focus right now is on performances rather than results.

“Preseason so far has been great,” James said.

“We are gaining minutes in each game. Yesterday we had a good result (against Club América) and hopefully we can continue to gain minutes.”

“Pre-season results are not really a true reflection of anything.

“We are taking a big step in the right direction in terms of the process we want to implement at the start of the season. I think that is the main objective, more than the results.”

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He added: “I feel very strong. Stronger than I have in a long time, so I hope I can continue like this.”

James has even been playing a slightly different role under Maresca, taking up the inverted right-back position, a role that sees him drift into central areas, rather than overlapping in a wide position.

Speaking about the move, James said: “It's good. I try to help the team as much as I can wherever I play.”

“Even though I'm playing goalkeeper, I'll try to help the team. I'm enjoying playing again.”

“Before, when I played as a full-back, I would just go up and down. Now it's a bit different. Sometimes I'm in the middle and not so much up front. It's a different role, but it's good.

“I feel like the role can change quite a bit. I don't think it's going to be a fixed role, which I think is also good. It will change depending on the opponents and stuff.”

Chelsea kick off their season with a tough home clash against Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday 18 August.