As he approaches the 100-appearance landmark for the club he signed up with at the age of eight, Loftus-Cheek will hope to become a regular for the team.
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s career has been a roller-coaster ride till now. It has been filled with memorable highs and unforgettable lows. From making his senior debut for his boyhood club in the Champions League at the age of just 18 to picking up a freak injury in Boston four-and-a-half years later that left him unable to walk for months, Loftus-Cheek has experienced a lot already. The injuries and the loans – a season each at Crystal Palace and Fulham – have restricted the midfielder from racking up the starts and appearances for Chelsea. In all that time, Loftus-Cheek has started just 17 Premier League games for the Blues and recently made only his second-ever start in the Champions League as Chelsea won in Malmo. The Londoner, who turns 26 in January, has opened up about his current situation.
As he approaches the 100-appearance landmark for the club he signed up with at the age of eight, Loftus-Cheek will hope to become a regular for the team in the new future. “It doesn’t surprise me to be honest,” he says when asked about his lack of league starts in a Blue jersey, according to his club’s website. “I’ve obviously been here a long time but I’ve had a lot of injuries along the way and I’ve been out on loan twice now so that’s just the way my career has gone. It’s quite a low number that I’d like to build on and now is the time to really hit the ground running.
“After my injury, I struggled to come back and regain that fitness or feel confident in my body but now, after a season of playing a lot [at Fulham], I feel really good in myself mentally and physically. I’m in a good position to play well.”
During his rise through the ranks at Cobham, Loftus-Cheek has opened up about the self-confidence he had in himself about becoming a regular for Chelsea’s senior side. “I’ve always believed that I could make it but there have just been a lot of setbacks along the way,” he explained. “Despite that, I’ve always believed that I could play for Chelsea regularly. For me, it’s just about staying injury-free and I’ve been that for over a year now for the first time in my career. There’s something I can take from that and I’m really happy with myself.
“The extra work that I’m doing is keeping me on the pitch and available to play, which is the most important thing. On top of that, I have to do the work and play well on the pitch, which always feels natural for me anyway. When I’m feeling good, I generally perform well.”
After returning from a season on loan at Fulham last term, Loftus-Cheek has rejoined the newly-crowned champions of Europe. He has worked closely with Thomas Tuchel and recent signings such as Romelu Lukaku, Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz among others.
Opening up about them, he said, “We have a lot of players in the team who bring different qualities but Mendy has been fantastic in goal. He’s been a constant from the start of the season and some of the saves he’s made have kept us in winning situations.”
“That’s what you need if you’re trying to win a title, to have someone like that behind you who can always save you after a mistake. He can get you out of trouble and he’s been fantastic.”
