Paul Merson has urged Reece James to learn to put himself first and get enough rest if he wants to put his injury issues behind him fast.

James sustained a hamstring injury in the 2-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday, and is now set for up to three months on the sidelines.

The Chelsea skipper had tried to manage the issue how best he could after missing seven matches at the start of the session due to the same injury, but Merson has now suggested that he needs to get proper rest.

“Reece now needs to have a proper break and rest. He needs to get his recovery right,” Merson told Sky Sports.

“The problem I think he has is that he loves football. He wants to just play football and that means he rushes back from injuries quicker than he should.

“Fair play to him because he just wants to help Chelsea, but it is a gruelling league the Premier League. Now he needs to be patient and get himself healthy and fully fit.

“When he is fully fit, Reece is the best right wing back in the world of football. But he cannot show that because he’s on the sidelines too much. So, now he needs to be patient, listen to his body and make sure he gets healthy.

“… It’s time for him to be selfish and make sure he takes enough time out to get back to full fitness.”