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This article is part of Football FanCast's Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

After much anticipation and hype, Reece James finally made his first-team debut for Chelsea against Grimsby Town in the League Cup on Wednesday.

And he didn't let manager Frank Lampard or the Chelsea supporters down, putting in a fine performance as the Blues beat the Mariners 7-1. The 19-year-old was on the scoresheet thanks to a fantastic finish from outside the box, whilst his wonderful cross was converted by Kurt Zouma to earn the right-back his first-ever assist in a Blue shirt.

He ended up being one of the game's star performers and, as you would expect, there was plenty of reaction to his performance from the football world.

So that you can get a better overall feel of his display, we gathered some of those comments.

Frank Lampard, Chelsea manager

Lampard is the man who will now be credited with giving James his first taste of action for the Stamford Bridge outfit.

After this match, the former Derby County boss was eager not to over-hype the England U20 international. He said: "His game will get much better. He has been out a long time and he has only played minimal minutes in the Under-23s, but Reece’s performances last year at Wigan when he was in the Team of the Year in the Championship showed the talent he has got and he is going to be a big player for this club. He has got a great player and person to look up to in Cesar Azpilicueta who is in his position."

However, he also had some praise too, adding: "He showed his real quality on the ball today so that is just the start for Reece."

James McKeown, Grimsby Town goalkeeper

Spare a thought for the Mariners players. It was a difficult night for them, and although the Blues made 10 changes to the side that started against Liverpool, there was still far too much quality for their opposition. At least they had one moment to celebrate, with Matt Green scoring in the first half.

Goalkeeper James McKeown spoke to Love Sport Radio after the match, and was full of compliments for James and Callum Hudson-Odoi, another who was making his first appearance of the campaign. The 30-year-old said (via Football London): "As a lower league player going there you want to play their better players. You know it probably decreases your chances but you want to test yourself. With all due respect, you don't want to play against an under-23 team.

"The likes of Reece James played, (Callum) Hudson-Odoi played and they were very good - they were probably two of their better players on the night.

"From their point of view they were professional and ruthless. They were very good."

Stephen Warnock, pundit

It wasn't just those directly involved in the match who were impressed with James. Stephen Warnock was speaking on the Carabao Cup's highlights programme Quest, and he eulogised about the former Wigan loanee.

"Brilliant performance [from Reece James]," he said (via Football London).

"He went in at Wigan last year as defensive cover, as Paul Cook said, then he makes himself a star in the league and everyone is talking about him.

"Does he play left-back? Does he play right-back? Does he play centre midfield?

"He can play anywhere. This is the start of a very promising career for him at Chelsea, and one that I am very excited to watch."

Verdict

The comments say it all: James stood out against Grimsby. After all the waiting, he took his chance fantastically, and we should expect to see plenty more of him as the season progresses. He may have Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of him in the pecking order right now, but, with more displays like this, that may not be the case for much longer.