The 21-year-old opened her Chelsea account for the season with a well-taken brace against Aston Villa, also providing an assist in the same game, and she then returned to haunt her former club Manchester United in our final match before the most recent international break, scoring in an impressive 3-1 away win.

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Now, ahead of our next fixture at home to Tottenham tomorrow, Hayes has been discussing the attacker’s form, as well as the work that remains necessary to manage her return from a series of injury problems.

‘I will always err on the side of caution, because my job is to keep her on the pitch,’ Hayes stressed.

‘When you have been out so long, that gradual build has to have big-picture thinking. It’s easy to say play this game, play that game, play this game, but I’ve been clear with Lauren how we’re going to do it. She buys into that.

‘It might mean she doesn’t feature in everything all the time, because young players can have amazing moments and challenging moments, but she’s such a joy to coach.

‘I know she’s delighted to see me, to catch up and talk about what the next steps are for her,’ added the manager.

‘Her talent is clear, but most importantly we must keep doing the right things. If we all want her growth to continue in the direction it’s going - trust me, I’ve coached footballers for such a long time – you have to keep nailing the things around them, the habits. She’s still a young player and we’re still nailing those habits.

‘I urge everybody to be calm with her. It’s important for us to nurture her in the way we do, but also without massive pressures and expectations, which I know is hard to avoid.’

James would do well to try to match the achievements in a Chelsea shirt of Drew Spence, who left for Tottenham in the summer following more than 10 years of service to the Blues.

Spence played 239 games for us and scored exactly 50 goals, helping us to win all 13 of our major trophies in that time.

As Spence prepares to face her former club for the first time, Hayes considered how she would feel at the prospect of reuniting with her long-time midfielder.

‘I smile when I think about Drew,’ she enthused. ‘I just have pride.

‘She is a huge part of what makes this team successful, and yes, she’s playing for the opponent, of course I want her to be on the losing team, but I’m just proud of her.

‘She’s having an amazing season. She’s being really impactful for them, and I just look forward to giving her a hug and saying hi.’