What Rio Ferdinand said about Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold before Chelsea-Real Madrid

Rio Ferdinand praised Reece James ahead of Chelsea's clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Chelsea face the Los Blancos with Reece James back on the starting line up. The young Englishman has been suffering from injury for the last three weeks and Chelsea fans have been waiting for his return. Rio Ferdinand was in discussion with Joe Cole and Steve McManaman on BT Sports when he praised the young England defender.

Ferdinand said: "Reece James man, what a fantastic footballer. He’s the modern-day fullback, we talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold, he’s right up there with him. You can’t split them really, they bring so much to the game. I think Reece will bring more goals, but look at the passing man."

In their last meeting, James was not involved at all but he started against Real Madrid for the first time. This will be the time for him to prove Ferdinand right and produce in to the final third. He has arguably been the missing piece to the puzzle after suffering from long term back to back injuries this calendar year.

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"He doesn’t even get the recognition he deserves for his passing," the former Manchester United defender added. "He’s got every club in the bag as well. He can be devastating, he’s got that physicality and patrols that right-hand side like he owns it.

"There’s a confidence about him that’s different to when he first came into the team which is understandable. As a player, I wanted the team to miss me if I wasn’t playing. He’s in that boat, in that place now when if he doesn’t play you notice a drop in the level."

Reece James is consistently in comparison with his England counterpart Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the pair battling for a spot in the England squad at