Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated his reasons for naming Reece James as club captain.

The outstanding right-back, who was immense in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, was given the armband this summer.

Pochettino and the club have thrown their weight behind James, despite his injury issues over previous seasons.

Post-game, Pochettino told reporters: “After nearly six weeks working, we decided with the club to give the armband to him because I think he is the perfect profile.

“He is a fantastic player, he is a fantastic boy, loves Chelsea and he is a leader. The teammates respect him and everyone in the club respects him and the fans love him also. I think he is a perfect player to be a captain."

On taking him off in the second half, he added: “Because he was tired. You need to see from where he came.

“The first thing we did when we arrived was to assess and analyze all of the players from the past. He was injured for three or four months. This pre-season was tough for him, we didn't want to take any risk and that is why at 80 minutes, we wanted to avoid the risk."