James says he was shocked and nervous to get the call-up.
He had waited his whole life for that moment, the youngster recalls.
Reece reveals he grew up idolising the players he was playing with that evening.
“I remember getting the call [up to the first-team]. I was shocked and nervous. It was what I was waiting for my whole life, to put on the shirt and walk out at Stamford Bridge,” said the Cobham graduate James, in an interview with BBC Sport.
“I don’t think it [my debut] could have gone any better. I was coming into it late [due to injury] and had to get up to speed fast. I grew up watching these players and idolising them; now I was playing with them.”
The 20-year-old’s senior career got off to a flying start as he scored one and assisted another in his side’s 7-1 Carabao Cup victory over Grimsby Town in September 2019.
Since his debut, the right-back has clocked 42 Premier League appearances over the course of the past two seasons after being integrated into the senior squad by former boss Frank Lampard.
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