ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno says Reece James cannot be Chelsea’s MVP because of all of the games he is missing.
Journalist Sam Tighe recently ranked Reece James as the most important member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, but Moreno refuted that claim on ESPN due to the right-back’s injury record.
He has struggled to stay fit these last couple of years and has barely played this season.
The Blues will be hoping that he is ready for the London derby against Arsenal after the international break, but that would be only his second appearance of the campaign.
Reece James not Chelsea’s MVP
For Moreno, James cannot be Chelsea’s MVP. On the 23-year-old, he said: “By definition MVP is most valuable player and in order to be a player, you have to be on the field.
“It’s not a situation in which I disagree with Sam in regard to the value of Reece James when he’s on the field. But if he is watching from the stands, then he has no use for me. He does nothing for me if I’m a Chelsea player, if I’m part of the Chelsea coaching staff or the front office.”
Reece James’ latest injury
James has been out with a hamstring problem, but there is hope that he will be fit for the Arsenal game.
According to the Evening Standard, the England international has actually recovered from the injury now and is set to make a return to first-team action.
The Arsenal match is a huge one, but given that James has had a lot of fitness issues of late, we do not think Pochettino should risk him.
The Argentine has Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella who can both play in the right-back position.
With James earning £250,000 a week at Stamford Bridge (Spotrac), it is clear that the defender is valued very highly by the club. But if he continues to miss games, then of course it is going to be hard for him to be Chelsea’s MVP.
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