Omar Marmoush picks Chelsea defender as toughest opponent, snubs Virgil van Dijk and William Saliba

Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush has picked Chelsea captain Reece James as the toughest defender he has locked horns with in his career. The Egypt forward has faced the likes of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal's William Saliba, but chose the Englishman.

While speaking to the media, Marmoush recalled his face-off on the pitch with the Chelsea defender, saying that he was given a tough time by the right back. He added that the English player was fast and strong, making it hard to get past and said:

"Until now, it was Reece James. ‘It was my first Premier League game. He’s fast, strong and has quality on the ball. He gave me a tough time. I haven’t played much in the Premier League yet, but I’ll say James for now."

Marmoush is not the only Manchester City player to pick, James was his toughest opponent. His teammate, Jeremy Doku, spoke to SPORTbible in 2024 and named the Englishman as the toughest defender he has faced in his career. He said:

"I’ve played against so many good defenders. Now it’s become so much more difficult with teams playing more defensively. I would say Reece James. I think he is a very strong and good defender, and one of the hardest I've ever played against."

Reece James has been dealing with hamstring issues in his career and underwent surgery in December 2023. He suffered another hamstring injury in November 2024, but did not require surgery.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca protecting Reece James from injuries

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca spoke about his skipper, Reece James, after the UEFA Conference League win and admitted that he would like to start all the games with the right-back on the pitch. However, he believes that it is very important to protect the English defender from another injury and said on TNT sports:

“I promise you, I would start always with Reece. But I’m trying to protect him. He played more games this season than the last two, three years. He’s happy, he knows that. He’s a top player for us. It’s like Cole [Palmer], the problem is we need to manage him. When we changed him, he said to me, ‘boss don’t worry, we’re going to win the game’.”

Reece James has started just once in three Premier League games so far this season.