Ben Chilwell has heaped praise on his fellow Chelsea defender Reece James.
The left-back was one of seven major signings made by the Blues in the summer transfer window, with his move from Premier League rivals Leicester City costing the club a reported £45m fee.
After recovering from an ankle injury that saw him miss the first few games of the season, Chilwell has nailed down a spot in the Chelsea defence and has even contributed at the other end with two goals in eight league games.
Meanwhile, his tally of two assists is the same as James who plays on the opposite flank.
Amid the Blues' £200m summer spending spree, James has been one of the more consistent performers this season and has effectively established himself as the first-choice right-back.
It was his cross that resulted in Olivier Giroud equalising against Leeds United last week as Chelsea maintained their title challenge with a 3-1 win.
Tipped for a bright future in the game, Chilwell has revealed why he's been so surprised by James following his move to west London.
"I knew how good Reece was before I came here but I just wanted to say how much he’s surprised me,” Chilwell said in an interview with the Guardian. "He’s unbelievable, especially for 20 years old.
"He's a brilliant player. He’s powerful but quick with it.
"He's very difficult to play against because of how physical he likes to be against his opponents."
In Chilwell in James, Chelsea are in the conversation with Liverpool in regards to having the best full-back pairing of any team in the Premier League.
The secret to their success is head coach Frank Lampard's tactical instructions.
"The fact he likes our full-backs to be high and wide suits me,” Chilwell adds. "I had to make sure defending was my priority. But the fact as full-backs we go forward was part of why I wanted to come.
"You’ve just got to make sure your deliveries are good and the strikers will do the rest.
"We work a lot on it in training, wide players getting crosses in."
