There will always be some wonder over where Ruben Loftus-Cheek would be just now if he was given more opportunities as a youngster and if he didn’t pick up so many injuries at key points in his career.
He’s shown that he has everything to be the complete midfielder, but he is now 25 years old so it looked like his loan move to Fulham this year was a chance to put himself in the shop window ahead of a more permanent move next season.
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Perhaps that is still the long term plan, but Thomas Tuchel’s comments today do make it sound like he’s going to get one final chance to prove himself at Stamford Bridge:
The comparisons to Michael Ballack may be huge, but it also gives you an idea of just how highly Tuchel actually rates the midfielder, so this could be an interesting one to watch.
Chelsea have a lot of tidy central midfielders but they don’t have someone like Loftus-Cheek this season who could be a true game-changer if he’s on form, so it would be a great story if the German manager found a way to get the best out of him next season if he does return.