Skipper James has made excellent progress in maintaining his fitness, having been named in the Blues’ matchday squad for every game across all competitions this campaign, and head coach Maresca has also been pleased with the full-back’s displays whenever he's pulled on the shirt this term

Leading by example has been something that Maresca has been particularly impressed with when it comes to his captain, and he believes the 25-year-old has taken an important step forward in his fitness journey, something that can help inspire his team-mates in similar situations.

‘Reece is good, he is doing well and is fit 100 per cent,’ Maresca opened, speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of our trip to Qarabag.

‘The way he has behaved in every game is top, even when he is not playing, [the way he is] inside the changing room with his team-mates. I think he is ready to play three games in a week. It also depends on the way we use Reece.

‘We don’t use him up and down, that is a big job for him, Malo [Gusto], or for any full-back to go up and down. So we also protect and save him in the way we try to play. So, he is ready to play three games in a week.’

One team-mate Maresca believes can follow in Reece’s footsteps is Romeo Lavia, with the midfielder gradually gaining important minutes on the pitch – including appearances in our recent victories over Wolves and Spurs.

‘The main target for Romeo now is to be fit, and to not get any injuries,’ the head coach explained.

‘For me, in this moment, Romeo is where Reece was more or less a year ago, in terms of being back after a long time. So we need to manage him every day, every minute, every session. The target with him is to keep him fit.

‘[Romeo] is training with us, is okay and is 100 per cent fit, but we have to be careful with him because we don’t want him out again. We want him to enjoy being a football player.’

Maresca knows that with a similar minutes and recovery plan to Reece’s previously, Lavia can get back to controlling the tempo of games regularly.

He added: ‘We are happy with Romeo and how he is progressing. I would like to have Romeo inside the pitch always but it’s my duty to also try to protect him.’