Ruben’s starting to enjoy himself
RUBEN Loftus-Cheek seized a rare chance to shine by scoring twice in last night’s friendly victory in Denmark.
The England U21 star continues to struggle for game time at Chelsea and has made only four starts for Antonio Conte’s side this season.
But he showed no signs of rustiness in Randers with two well-taken strikes to help his side win for the first time since Aidy Boothroyd was appointed manager full-time.
Loftus-Cheek said: “I really enjoyed it. I haven’t played much for my club so it is important for me to work hard and try to get my sharpness when I come away with England.”
He opened the scoring with a cool finish after 10 minutes and wrapped up victory with a powerful effort in the second half. Solly March and Cauley Woodrow also got on the scoresheet.
Boothroyd said: “He was excellent, but the only reason he was terrific was because he had 10 other players on the pitch that worked really hard for him.
“He has still got bits to do in certain aspects of his performance, but they all have. They are not end products yet.”
England were beaten in Germany on Friday but Boothroyd believes his side can prepare for the upcoming European Championship in Poland in good heart.
He said: “The whole trip has been a good experience, coming to Denmark and playing them at their home and Germany – two really good games for us.
“I was really pleased with the manner we went about our work today. Maybe we could have been a bit more clinical but we didn’t underestimate Denmark because they are in the European finals and are a good team. It makes it even more special to have got the result we did.”