Ruben Loftus-Cheek is unhappy with his youth career at Chelsea.
“In the last two years, I’ve been playing mainly in a defensive position, which is not natural for me,” Loftus-Cheek was quoted as saying by the British publication Evening Standard on Thursday. I’ve always liked to have the ball at my feet and the freedom to create and make decisions. In the last two seasons, I couldn’t do that, and that way of playing didn’t make me happy,” the report said.
Loftus-Cheek is a central midfielder by trade, but he is an all-rounder who can play as an attacking midfielder, a flanker, and even a wingback and defensive midfielder. He has good dribbling and on-the-ball skills, so he has the ability to drive and carry the ball himself. He also has good physicality at 5’11”, which allows him to play with physicality.
He made his professional debut for Chelsea in the 2014/15 season and showed promise at the end of the 2015/16 season when injuries to first team players forced him into the starting lineup and he performed like a promising youngster. However, after being pushed out of the first team, he was loaned out to Crystal Palace for the 2017/18 season and his performances there earned him a return to Chelsea.
In 2018/19, under Mauricio Sarri, he hit his stride. Sarri utilized Loftus-Cheek in an attacking role, and he and Azhar led the team’s attack and had their best season yet, until Azhar suffered an Achilles injury in a post-season charity match against the New England Revolution.
Injuries have kept him out of form ever since, but starting in the 2021/22 season, Thomas Tuchel has used him in a rotation between wing-back and midfield, filling in for the lack of depth in the midfield.
Since then, he has been a consistent performer under Graham Potter, which led to his move to AC Milan in the summer transfer window. He was unhappy about being asked to play at wing-back and this was the main reason for his departure. 안전놀이터
He has started all three of his current Serie A games in central midfield, with a 100% win rate and two assists. He said: “Throughout my career I have played in different roles. Now I’m playing in a more free position and it feels good,” he said.