'It is devastating!' - Reece James admits he was hurt by Enzo Maresca's decision to drop him for Chelsea's Conference League final victory over Real Betis

Enzo Maresca named the Blues captain on the bench for the start of the clash in Poland but substituted him on for the second-half after a miserable performance from Malo Gusto at right-back.

James' introduction coincided with Chelsea's second-half revival as Cole Palmer set up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to put them in the lead before Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo rounded off a 4-1 win.

James admitted he was gutted to be left out, but overcame the disappointment, telling TNT Sports: "Of course it is devastating to know you are not starting in a final. I want to play every game but it was the manager's decision. Once he made the decision, I had to move on and accept it and be ready when I was needed."

After celebrating their trophy success, the Stamford Bridge club will soon start preparing for the Club World Cup, which kicks off in the middle of June.