Chelsea midfield ace Mason Mount has revealed his nickname for his Blues team-mate Reece James -“The Beast”, because the defender is “quick, strong and powerful”.

James continued his good form for Chelsea at the weekend as he played the full 90 minutes against Crystal Palace, keeping danger-man Wilfried Zaha quiet and impressing with his positioning as well as an ability to bomb forward.

And Mount has heaped praise on James after his recent impact on the side, noting his “tremendous qualities” and warning other teams that his physicality means they ‘don’t want to get too close to him’.

“Reece is a very quiet boy. I’ve known him for a very, very long time, since eight or nine years old at the Academy here,” he told Chelsea’s website.

“He’s a very good boy, always works hard, and he’s got tremendous qualities. He’s going to be a brilliant player for us now and in the future as well.

“I call him the Beast, because he’s so quick, strong and powerful. You don’t want to get too close to him in training because he’ll get you off the ball, so you try to stay away from him.

“We all have a joke and a laugh, me, Tammy, Fikayo, Cal, Reece.

“We’ve all been together from a very young age so we know the ins and outs of all of us. The manager is giving us the chance to step up and prove we’re ready.

“He’s given the chance to me, Tammy, Fikayo, Reece on Saturday. It’s not that you’re given it, you have to work for it in training and show him that you’re ready to play. When that day comes, you need to show you’re ready and step up.”