Why Ruben Loftus-Cheek is not yet close to cementing place for England and Chelsea
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 13/11/2017 at 11:18 GMT
The fanfares are being sounded for Ruben Loftus-Cheek following his England debut, but it's probably a bit early to be getting carried away about the midfielder, writes Dan Levene.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek tangles with Germany's Emre Can
Image credit: Reuters
Who was Chelsea's last home-grown talent to truly break through to the England midfield? Ray Wilkins? Terry Venables?
We may have to wait a while for the next, but there were signs on Friday night that Ruben Loftus-Cheek might be the one who eventually makes the move.
After a shaky start against Germany, he grew into his role and, most pundits were agreed, was a worthy man of the match come full time.
So why has the Londoner's progression to England duties been so apparently straightforward, while he has struggled to find a role at Chelsea?
The answer lies in a number of different places...
Let's start with England, and with that game against Germany.
It was, let's not forget, a mere friendly.
Yes, a friendly against the World Champions, but a friendly nonetheless.
The seriousness with which so many take England friendlies is one of the things that seems to perennially harm the development of the national side.
It was pleasing to see Gareth Southgate permitted to hand out so many new caps on this occasion – something for which predecessors have often been castigated by the press and public.
He largely got away with it here because the side didn't lose. But a poorer result against hungrier opposition with something to prove, and the emerging narrative about Southgate's team selection would have been different.
Loftus-Cheek was given the space to shine: by his manager, yes; but also by his opposition.
A World Cup quarter final in Russia, should England get that far, against Portugal or (who knows) Panama, might be a more testing environment for such a developing talent.
The 21-year-old has impressed on loan for Crystal Palace this campaign – that is what brought him to the notice of Southgate in the first place.
That, in itself, justifies his temporary move across the river: were he at Chelsea he would, at this stage, be a spectator with perhaps a couple of dozen competitive minutes under his belt since August.
But Palace, of course, do occupy the opposite end of the table to Chelsea: and it is sometimes easier for a midfielder to stand out while most of those around him are failing so badly.
It was a different story for the player last season: as Antonio Conte struggled to find a role for him.
He rejected Loftus-Cheek the midfielder: tests in training, and in competition, showing a lack of the urgency required to make the Italian's system work.
That is, in itself, no shame on Loftus-Cheek: Conte's formation requires a special form of 90-minute commitment, and an attention to detail that will seldom be found in a player so lacking in top-level experience.
That may yet come for Loftus-Cheek: and again, regular football and managers with more space to experiment will help him find it.
But at Chelsea, such opportunities are thin on the ground.
How many chances are there in your average season for a young player to show his mettle for the Blues?
The League Cup third round? The same stage of the FA Cup, depending on the draw? You wouldn't chance too many youngsters away at Qarabag in the Champions League, given the group situation, and what we've seen from the Azeris against Atletico.
And so he is, like so many others, sent out to prove himself with lesser sides: Crystal Palace; and, let's be honest, England.
Loftus-Cheek was highly impressive on his full international debut at Wembley last week: nobody can, or should, take that away from him.
He is undoubtedly a player of talent, ability, and bags of potential – and Chelsea will one day, perhaps under a different manager using a different system, hope to extract that from him for their own benefit.
But we are still quite some way from having that breakthrough Chelsea home-grown midfielder for England.
And, for that matter, for Chelsea too.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement