It is fair to say that there is one Chelsea player who Phil Foden will not be looking forward to going up against on Sunday.

His Manchester City side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the midfielder has been speaking ahead of the game.

He told presenter Olivia Buzaglo in a Q+A that Reece James is the toughest full-back he has ever played against.

James has missed a lot of the season so far because of injury but should be available for Sunday’s match after starting in Chelsea’s 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.

It was only his second start in the Premier League this term.

Reece James a tough full-back to play againstA lot is said about what James offers to Chelsea going forward, but how good he is defensively cannot be ignored.

The 23-year-old is a really strong and powerful defender for his age. It is no surprise that Foden views him as such a difficult opponent.

Bearing that in mind, then, hopefully James can remain fit. Mauricio Pochettino does have options if he gets injured again, the likes of Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella, the latter a left-back who has played at right-back at times this season.

However, they do not combine powerful defending with attacking threat the way James does. Simply put, he is not a player Chelsea will want to lose again.

James is still learning as a footballer, as a captain, with John Obi Mikel feeling that the England international is not vocal enough on the pitch. But overall, James is the real deal.

Really, then, it is just about keeping him fit, which may be easier said than done. But if Chelsea can, they should be able to go into games with much more confidence, that is how good the full-back is.