Chelsea right-back Reece James has spoke of his delight of playing alongside Thiago Silva at Hakim Ziyech.

He told The Athletic: “Thiago has brought a lot of experience. I have played alongside him a few times now. He has helped me a lot.

“You can see straight away why he has been one of the best in the world.

“He constantly talks to me throughout games, helping me in my positioning, directing me and making sure he is talking to me before, during and after games. It all adds up and improves performances.

“Further forward, there have been signs with Hakim in training. Ever since he arrived, we got on well. I knew I would be playing behind him.

‘We clicked early and tried to build this connection in training to use this season. His left foot is just unbelievably good.”