Parker sees Loftus-cheek rise to lofty heights
SCOTT PARKER believes Ruben Loftus-cheek is turning into an ‘unplayable’ force – and warned there is more to come.
Fulham’s boss says the silky midfielder’s rehab is quickly gathering pace at Craven Cottage following a 15-month injury nightmare.
Loftus-cheek (left) looked to have the world at his feet following his breakthrough season at Chelsea only for a ruptured
Achilles to halt his progress in its tracks. The Blues agreed to loan the England man, 25, to their near neighbours and Parker made him a focal point of Fulham’s squad.
An eye-catching show alongside Harrison Reed against Sheffield United last weekend turned up the heat on clubs above them in the survival fight.
And Parker believes Loftus-cheek is now showing his true worth. He said: “When Ruben first came into the building I sensed someone who was a little bit weary, someone who was doubting himself a little bit.
“He probably had a lot of concerns. He had been out for an extremely long time and not played a lot of football.
“I’ve seen him grow and grow into the player we can all see.
“There’s still loads to come but this is a player who can take the
ROY HODGSON is delighted to have James Mccarthy back for the remainder of this season.
The Crystal Palace manager heaped praise on midfielder Mccarthy’s resilience for coping with the death of his father and the injury setbacks which have limited his playing time.
Ahead of today’s showdown with Fulham, Hodgson said: “He’s picked up injuries at the wrong time and also personal problems.
“If he plays to the level of his ability, it will be hard for some of the other players to knock him off his perch.that is the quality the man has.”
ASH HANDLEY is being driven by a powerful combination of sweet and sour memories.
The positive incentive is the joy of winning his first silverware with Leeds Rhinos last year.
Super League’s top try scorer last season said:
“Hopefully winning the Challenge Cup can be a snowball effect and we can go on and challenge again.”
The more bitter taste in his mouth stems from the snub by Great Britain boss Wayne Bennett 15 months ago.
Uncapped Handley was given an emergency call-up because of injuries, ahead of the last game of the Lions tour but was then overlooked by Bennett.
The maverick coach didn’t even know Handley’s name, despite his epic journey to get to Papua New Guinea in time.
Handley said: “We had a team meeting and he said, ‘Thanks, Josh, for coming but you are not playing’.
“I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I’d flown across the world and thought I was going out to play.
“I felt like an idiot. I was obviously gutted but it motivated me to go again.”
Handley, 24, made his Rhinos debut seven years ago and is convinced they could have another golden generation on their hands.
He said: “We’ve got a good young group with some great players who’ve got experience.”
FRENCH OPEN champion Iga Swiatek breezed past second seed Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-2 in the Adelaide International final to claim the second title of her career.
The Polish star, 19, shot out of relative obscurity last year when she became the youngest woman to win the Roland Garros title since Monica Seles in 1992.
The world No.18 showed again why she is so highly rated with a superb week in Australia.
Swiatek did not drop a set throughout thewta 500 tournament and lost only 22 games in all.
She fired 22 winners and made only six unforced errors in the final at Memorial Drive Park.
Swiatek, who will rise to a new career-high ranking of No.15 this week, said of her good form during her title runs: “For sure, there is something that clicks.
“Not only in my head but also tennis-wise. I feel pretty good on court. I feel sometimes I have weeks when everything clicks.
“It’s good because I can see that I can play good tennis for the whole week.”
Swiatek went ahead 3-2 in the opening set of the final and broke Bencic’s serve when the Swiss double-faulted three times before switching gears to gain the early advantage in the contest.
The fifth seed then surged ahead 3-1 in the second set before closing out a comfortable and deserved victory.