Reece James has come into prominence for Chelsea during the past couple of weeks and so far the right-back has featured in four Premier League games for the Blues.
During the weekend, Reece James was named in the first XI vs Palace on the back of a fine display against Ajax in the Champions League.
And this has shown that Lampard might have already found the ideal replacement to Cesar Azpilicueta for the right-back role.
Speaking after the win vs Palace, the Chelsea boss heaped praises on Reece James and went on to explain why he chose the youngster over his club captain.
“Reece was fantastic against one of the best wingers in the league one-v-one,” Lampard said.
“He is a real threat on the counter-attack and Reece dealt with those situations and also joined in with the attack; you can see how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet and his delivery and passing.
“I trust Reece. He had an injury early season but he has got fit and has been training at a level where he deserved minutes and he did brilliantly.
And while the fans are hoping Reece James will now be a regular feature in the right-back role after the international break but Lampard has hinted the 19-year-old might be used in a totally different role.
‘Right-back would be his favoured position,’ admitted Lampard[as quoted by The Metro].
‘Whether it be there, right wing-back or right of a three. As he’s coming into the team, you’d see him there but he does have that all-round game that he could handle playing centrally in midfield if needs be.
‘At the moment we’ve got good players in there who are used to playing in there anyway, but he could always do that as he matures through his career.’
Last season Reece James was sent out on loan to Wigan which obviously has made him a finished product this year.
But we don’t think the manager will use him too consistently simply because he will need Azpilicueta’s experience on the pitch.
Lampard has been using a relatively young team this season which means his club captain plays a very important role, especially during games when they fall behind and need a lift[like the match vs Ajax].
