Thomas Tuchel praises Reece James, calls him a very good player

Reece James scored England's first goal in their 3-0 win over Latvia. Head coach Thomas Tuchel praised Reece James, calling him a "quality player".  

Reece James, who currently plays for Chelsea, was selected for Thomas Tuchel's England team and performed very well in the match against Latvia, breaking the deadlock with a free kick. This was the first time Reece James started for England in two and a half years.  

Reece James has missed 60 games for the club over the past two seasons, but has been called up to the England squad due to an injury to Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold.  

Thomas Tuchel said: "Reece James's quality is beyond doubt, his level has always been very high. In the past few weeks, we have been in close contact. We know that he has been training and he is in a good mental state. "  

Reece James has played in defensive midfield three times in the top flight this season and when the manager was asked if he would try the position on the international stage he suggested it might not suit his style of play.  

Thomas Tuchel said: "If you can dominate like in this game, then in the last 20 minutes Reece James can be a hybrid midfielder because he is so good on the ball. However, when the game is open and there needs to be a lot of transitions through the midfield, I am not so sure if this is the right fit for him."  

"I know the quality of Reece James and he is really great. He has absolutely every reason to be proud of his performance. When we called up Reece James, he hadn't played many games. But it wasn't because he was injured, they were just looking after and managing him. Reece James is in good shape, very sharp and his quality is unquestionable."