Hakim Ziyech had a dire first half against Manchester United, so we weren’t surprised to see Reece James warming up at half time.
What was surprising was the fact that it was Callum Hudson-Odoi and not Ziyech who was removed for James at the break.
The appearance of CHO with a bandaged leg explained that decision though, and Thomas Tuchel has just given us an update on the winger’s status and his own decision to remove him from the game after 45 minutes:
“The reason [he was replaced] was a tactical reason and a little injury,” Tuchel explained in quotes picked up by the Metro.
We had a feeling it wasn’t entirely fitness related – in fact it sounds more like Tuchel is just preventing CHO from being too embarrassed by another removal midway through the game.
With our most difficult run of fixtures now underway, getting the winger back as soon as possible is now our top priority. Let’s hope this injury truly is as fugazi as it now appears.
