A year on, Chelsea still waits to see which Ruben Loftus-Cheek they have

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s terrible injury happened exactly one year ago. Chelsea is still waiting to see which player they get back after the recovery.

One year ago, Chelsea had a very awkwardly timed mid season (that was probably expected to be post season) friendly against the New England Revolution. Maybe Roman Abramovich wanted certain players played, maybe he did not. Regardless, there was little reason why a full strength starting XI needed to play for as long as it did.

Injuries like Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s in that match are rarely total surprises. The physios, if they are doing their job properly, would likely have seen precursors in their testing. Regardless, Loftus-Cheek played. And regardless of whether one believes in bad luck, the science, or something else, the facts remain the same: Loftus-Cheek ruptured his Achilles’ tendon.

It is by no means a small injury. The best expectations had Loftus-Cheek returning sometime in early 2020. But he continued to have set backs and due to COVID-19, he has still not seen the pitch. A year later, the Blues are still waiting to see what player they are getting back.

Fans have already seen how the same injury, though less severe, can negatively impact a player. Callum Hudson-Odoi injured the same part of his body just weeks early and it has only been recently that he has begun to truly look like his old self. With Loftus-Cheek’s injury being worse, that could be a bad sign for the future.

Of course, that is no guarantee either, especially now. Loftus-Cheek was just about ready to return when COVID-19 began to change the world. Now, with at least three months off, Loftus-Cheek could have had the needed time to get closer to the player he was.

Even still, it would not be unusual for him to have lost a step of pace. Or, like Kurt Zouma, take time to find his feet again. Loftus-Cheek may have to adapt to cope with the pain or what his body is now capable of and that could permanently change him as a player stylistically.

But all of this will simply remain an unknown until he steps foot on the field. Not once, but multiple times. His first time out he could look as good as he ever was. The next time he could look like a shadow of himself. Or vice versa. Even after a year off, this remains a waiting game for the player and the club as they look to sort out what is the new normal for the Englishman.

Ideally, Frank Lampard finds the right moments to give Loftus-Cheek playing time in the final nine Premier League matches of the season (whenever they may be). The club will surely have a place for Loftus-Cheek next season regardless but the next step in his recovery is playing and seeing how things pan out when he does so.

Maybe he returns as good as ever. Maybe he (sadly) does not. Time is the only way to tell. Chelsea and the fans have been waiting a long time and will have to wait a bit longer to see what is what.