Palace boss excited by Ruben arrival
NEW Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer is confident Ruben LoftusCheek can provide a “quality injection” as he looks to reshape his squad ahead of a first Premier League campaign.
The 21-year-old midfielder, who has been a target for both Newcastle United and Sunderland, completed a season-long loan deal to Selhurst Park from Chelsea and is the first signing since the Dutchman was announced as successor to Sam Allardyce last month.
De Boer has been running the rule over his squad ahead of their opening friendly against Maidstone United, which will be followed by a trip to Hong Kong for the Premier League Asia Trophy, also featuring Liverpool, West Brom and Leicester.
There are expected to be a couple of fresh faces before Palace kick off the new domestic campaign against Premier League newcomers Huddersfield at Selhurst Park on August 12.
De Boer feels Loftus-Cheek is just the right acquisition to begin his rebuilding project.
“He is a very talented player and is a good height and even though he is quite tall, he has very good technique,” De Boer said on the Crystal Palace website. “He is a technical and physical player, so after I looked at our squad I thought he could be a very helpful player for the team and gives us a quality injection.”
After coming through the Chelsea Academy, Loftus-Cheek made his senior first-team debut in the Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon during December 2014.
Loftus-Cheek intends to make the most of his opportunities at Selhurst Park.
“The manager is looking forward to working with me, as I am with him. He wants to get to know me and the way I play, so hopefully we can have a good season together,” said Loftus-Cheek. “I always remember Palace as a very strong team, they give everything (and) I would like to be a part of that this season.”