James made his return from injury midway through the second half against Liverpool, replacing Andrey Santos and joining Moises Caicedo in the heart of midfield.

It didn’t take the 26-year-old long to look right at home again in the Chelsea side, something McFarlane acknowledged in his assessment of the skipper’s performance on Merseyside.

‘We felt like we needed him in that moment in the game, and it was great to have him back,’ said McFarlane.

‘Andrey did really well, but we just wanted to freshen it up in midfield and get a bit more control. Reece and Moi have played together in that position loads of times, and you can see the connection in there.

‘We’re really pleased that Reece came through that, and really pleased with the week he's put in in preparation for Manchester City. He’s in a really good place.

‘Reece is a massive player for this team and England,’ added McFarlane. ‘The amount of positions he can play, his skillset in and out of possession. He’s one of the best for me, one of the most complete footballers in world football.’

While McFarlane had largely positive news to report on the injury front ahead of the Cup final – on not only James but also Robert Sanchez, Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto – he will have to make do without Estevao Willian at Wembley.

The young winger’s thrilling first season at Stamford Bridge has been curtailed due to a hamstring injury, and McFarlane knows the club will do all they can to aid his return to full fitness.

‘I know that Estevao has gone back to Brazil, he's not in London at the moment,’ said McFarlane. ‘He's in Brazil recovering, but I'm sure those conversations are going on in terms of how long his recovery is going to be.

‘We know that he's not going to be fit for us from now to the end of the season. Estevao's a top player, top talent, really good to work with, but right now our focus is on the next three games, and we'll do whatever we can to help Estevao with his recovery.’