PLAYER POWER

Loftus-Cheek swapped bench at Chelsea for game time at Palace.. & gamble is about to pay off with England debut

RUBEN LOFTUSCHEEK has seen his determination to quit Chelsea rewarded with an England debut.

The 21-year-old told the champions in the summer he needed to leave for the good of his career and is now finally playing regularly for the first time on loan at Crystal Palace.

Incredibly, Loftus-Cheek has yet to finish on the winning side for Palace – having been ineligible when they beat his parent club – but has clearly done enough to convince Gareth Southgate of his worth.

The 6ft 3in midfielder (left) insists he does not hold any grudges against Chelsea for failing to play him more, and admits he does not know if he has a future at the club.

He said: “I had a vision and it became quite strong that I wanted to go. I felt like I needed to play a lot, so I said I wanted to go and play games. So we came to an agreement.

“I feel I have definitely improved – like I have

eased into the Premier League role. I’ve had a few injuries which have not been so good.

“I’ve had a couple of games, then an injury, but that is just my body adapting to 90 minutes of Premier League football, because I haven’t played regularly for two years.

“So I have to be patient with myself.

“Chelsea is a massive club and there are high demands there. For managers to play a load of young players at the same time... I can imagine it’s difficult. But I’m really focused now on Palace and I’m fully committed to them. All my focus is on the here and now, and improving.”

Loftus-Cheek established a strong connection with Southgate after playing for him in the Under-21s, but when the call came for the seniors it was still a shock.

“It’s a really nice feeling to be called up, I can’t really describe it. Since playing football at a young age, it has been a dream to be called up for England,” he said.

“I found out because my phone was just lighting up. I was just thinking, ‘What is going on now? Trouble, man!’ But family and friends had just seen the news.

“I know within myself the hard work it has taken to get to this point, but also it has happened and I am focused now.”

Three Lions boss Southgate said: “He’s always been the biggest kid in the playground, but he’s not a player who’s survived on physical strength.

“He’s a player of great technique – a different sort of player, at his best in behind the opposition midfield, driving at defences.

“Great technical quality, dribbling ability, power – I think he’s a really exciting player. I was hoping to bring him in last month but he had an injury. He’s a player I’ve seen and worked with since the Under-15s.

“He’s suffered with growing as early as he did, in terms of game time, throughout his career. He’s quite a quiet lad.

“So I’m hoping he gets a lift in confidence from how we see him, the level we think he’s capable of.”