When Reece James was taken off in the 75th minute of yesterday’s game against Liverpool, there was a murmur around the stadium, and on sofas across the country.
James’ fitness problems in the last few years have been so bad that it’s only natural that there is worry every time he’s taken off. But he had looked fine on the pitch, he looked happy on the bench, and after the game Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that James was just being rested, and had no injury issue.
Gusto came on as a more than solid replacement, instantly replacing James’ attacking threat down the right.
Now we have a capable replacement for the full back, we expect this move to be a very regular one. In fact, we will likely rarely see James complete a full 90 minutes as the club look to protect him to the highest degree possible.
Soon, hopefully, the sight of him going off will be totally normal, and not a cause for panic.
