Mourinho lauds Remy ahead of QPR return

The injury absence of top scorer Diego Costa has opened the door for Remy, who joined from QPR in August last year and netted decisive strikes against Hull City and Stoke City.

Remy has had to be patient this season and Mourinho praised the 28-year-old for seizing his chance when coming off the bench lately.

"Even week after week when he was on the bench and Diego was starting matches, he pushed himself always to the limits to be in condition to answer when the right moment arrived," the Portuguese said in quotes reported by Chelsea's official website.

"Some players when they are not playing, the level of focus and commitment and training goes down, so after that when the team needs them they are not there for the team.

"Remy is a professional with a great profile, every time working very hard and when he was playing, whether scoring or not scoring, he was always there for the team. Now he has scored two goals in two matches and he makes some important points.

"I like him because he can score goals and that is important for a striker, but at the same time, his movement is always good and when the team is not in possession, he knows it is better when the team defends with 10 players and he has that contribution.

"Also when you build the squad, if a player can play in more than one position that is a plus and he can play also wide on the right or wide on the left."

Chelsea sit top of the Premier League and were 2-1 winners when QPR visited Stamford Bridge in November.