Reece James, the captain of Chelsea, gave an update on his injuries following his first game of the year.

The Blues captain was thrust back into the deep end on Sunday as Enzo Maresca’s team fell 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield. Prior to this, he had not started a Premier League game in ten months.After so many injury setbacks over the last two seasons or so, Maresca has declared that James will only play one game per week for the foreseeable future. The team has already used a similar strategy with Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia.

After Chelsea lost for the first time since August, James played for just under an hour at Anfield after being substituted ahead of schedule. James later declared he was “feeling good” following his return.

“Being involved once more was fantastic,” he remarked. “It was a big step because I missed playing in big games and against big players.”I haven’t begun a game in a very long time, so it was inevitable that beginning over here would be difficult, but I feel good.

“The road to recovery hasn’t been easy; it’s been difficult.” My goal is to persevere, maintain my strength, and support the team in achieving our goals.

Given Maresca’s prior remarks, Chelsea is probably not going to start James in Thursday’s Conference League matchup against Panathinaikos.

James will hopefully play when the Blues return to action on Sunday against Newcastle.