Gareth Southgate believes that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is ready for more football.
England U21 boss Gareth Southgate has put pressure on Jose Mourinho to afford Ruben Loftus-Cheek some more minutes after a stellar performance against Kazakhstan.
The countries faced off at the Ricoh Arena as the Euro 2017 qualifying campaign continued. England comfortably ran out as 3-0 victors, but the display from Loftus-Cheek particularly caught the eyes. Southgate was delighted with the midfielder’s man of the match display and implied a need for him to receive more playing time at Stamford Bridge.
"He should be very pleased with what he’s done and hopefully he can progress that over the next few weeks with his club."
According to The Guardian, Loftus-Cheeks’ performance was impressive enough to receive a standing ovation upon his substitution in the 84th minute.
Furthermore, the youngster also managed to bag a goal. Scoring has always been an aspect of his game that required improvement, a sentiment that Southgate has reinforced.
"Goals are something he has to add to his game if he is going to be in the No10 role."
Despite both his evident potential and Mourinho’s insistence on not loaning him out, Loftus-Cheek has been afforded few opportunities so far this season. He started the Champions League fixture against Maccabi Tel-Aviv and was impressive to say the least. However, he has made only one other appearance and that too off the bench.
With Chelsea’s well-documented struggles in this campaign, many fans have been calling for the Englishman’s inclusion. The midfield of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas have failed to bear any resemblance to the partnership that dominated the Premier League last term.
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The duo have looked slow and devoid of any life, resulting in a shaky back four being increasingly exposed. Starting Loftus-Cheek would refresh the dead middle-men and hopefully inject some adrenaline into the team.
Now, Southgate has seconded that belief with comments that only supports the midfielder’s case. Chelsea have been so poor (eight points from eight games, if you haven’t heard) that Mourinho has little to lose by chancing Loftus-Cheek at this stage.
It is hoped that the Blues will return to Cobham reinvigorated after the international break. Time away from the club may be exactly what they need to find that lost hunger and spark.
Having said that, the players did not improve to even the slightest of extents after their last set of international fixtures.
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