Patience pays off for Loftus-Cheek as

Ruben Loftus-Cheek confesses that getting away from Chelsea has been the springboard for his leap into the England team.

The midfielder put on a man-of-thematch performance on his senior debut against Germany on Friday and can now expect to make a late run into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad next summer.

The 21-year-old credits his loan move from Stamford Bridge to Crystal Palace as the core reason for his express promotion.

“When you don’t play every week, you really feel the difference of what games give you – the sharpness, the match fitness,” he says. “It’s what you need to progress.

“It was hard not playing and always feeling you had to try to be the best player on the pitch when you did.

“There’s no bitterness at all because Chelsea is a massive club, and I understand that opportunities don’t come often and don’t come to everyone.

“I would never want to rewind the time because I learned a lot about myself, and I feel I got mentally stronger over the last two years. That periodwaspartofmyjourney.

“I’ve had to be really patient. It was obviously tough at Chelsea, not getting the game time.

“I had to have the mentality to train right and do all the right things.

“I believe that if you do that, in time you will get your opportunities.

“Now I have the chance to play in the Premier League every week, which is what I wanted, and I will try to build on that.

“I’ve not had any contact with manager Antonio Conte but my focus is at Palace for the season.

“Knowing you are more likely to play takes the pressure off.

“There are no guarantees, but at Palace I feel like a first-team player because I have the opportunity to play every week. So that gives me the