Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has insisted that he feels the trust of current coach Guus Hiddink to make an impact for the team.
The 20-year-old scored his first goal for the club in their FA Cup win over Scunthorpe United earlier this month as he was handed the second half of the clash to impress.
Whether or not he is given further opportunities on the back of that performance remains to be seen, but the youngster is certainly pleased with his latest coach.
“I do not think he sees me as a young academy player, I think he sees me as a first-team player who can help the team,” said Loftus-Cheek in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.
“But being a young player is hard at Chelsea as the facts state that not many young players come through. But I will stay mentally strong and I think that when the time is right to play me, Guus will know and I trust him as a manager.”
Loftus-Cheek conceded that it was a difficult transitional process for him coming up through the Chelsea youth ranks and into the senior squad, but believes that he is now settled and is relishing the opportunity to secure a regular first-team spot.
With the Premier League champions continuing to languish in the bottom half of the table and with just four points separating them from the relegation zone, the pressure is still on Hiddink to find the long-term solutions to ensure that the club continue to make progress.
Nevertheless, he will have another option in midfield in the coming weeks with Loftus-Cheek expected to be on the bench for the clash with Arsenal on Sunday. Furthermore, the highly-rated England ace will be hopeful of continuing to learn from the likes of John Terry and follow in his footsteps in becoming a pillar of the club’s future success.
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