"I personally prefer" - Chelsea player explains what position he would love to play in under Thomas Tuchel 

Chelsea defender Reece James has explained what position he prefers to play. He stated that while he prefers to play as a wing-back, he is open to playing in the back three if manager Thomas Tuchel wants him to.

The 22-year-old has established himself as one of European football's best young right-backs in recent times. He has played 123 times for Chelsea in three seasons, as well as gained 13 England caps.

James is more than capable of playing on the right of a central-defensive trio, as well as a right-back in the back four. He has even been deployed as a holding midfielder at times.

However, speaking to Chelsea's official website, the Cobham academy graduate confirmed that his favored position under Tuchel is as a wing-back. He explained:

“Wherever I’m asked to play, I’ll do my best and try to help the team as much as I can. I personally prefer to play wing-back out of the two positions but Thomas is the manager and I’m the player so wherever I’m required to play, I’ll always play."

He added:

“I’ve played a number of positions before and I’m used to it now so it’s just about adapting on the day.”

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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on Reece James' best position

When asked in April earlier this year about James' best position on the pitch, the Chelsea boss heaped praise on the England full-back.

Tuchel insisted that how he uses James depends on the situation his team are in and what sort of opponent they are facing. He told a press conference (as quoted by The Metro):

"I would love to have two of Reece James, that would solve the problem, it’s like 50% towards wing-back and 45% towards the back three. It depends a little bit on how the opponent plays against us. Do we expect a lot of possession, how is their structure for their offensive transition."

He added:

"For this it can sometimes be helpful for Reece to play in the back three and be the first guy to cover in the transition and to not be involved in the attack. We have his speed and physicality in the protection of the opponents counter-attack."

Tuchel admitted that currently James' best position is at wing-back. He said:

"I’m a bit more into that his very best position is the wing-back position where he is perhaps even more decisive, more useful but it is more demanding. The next step is to be a regular player over 50, 55, 60 matches and from there we have to decide that those positions are filled with top quality with him."