Three big questions: Chelsea Ruben Loftus-Cheek and recovery

Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek got to return due to the extended season but the recovery is not over. What questions should be asked before next season?

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was really not supposed to feature this season. Covid handed him an extension that allowed him to see the field of play more often than was expected but also not really enough to get a glimpse at the player. Next season, with Chelsea reinforcing, will be critical to Loftus-Cheek’s future. What questions need to be asked?

1. When will the old Loftus-Cheek come back?

Loftus-Cheek eventually found his way into the Chelsea side under Maurizio Sarri and he looked every bit the player that had long been promised. Then injury stole basically an entire season from him.

Achilles injuries are tough, not only because the recovery is so long but because of the lasting impacts. That long out of the game comes with its own host of issues, but the main issue is how that ankle recovers. In many cases, it may never truly recover.

Loftus-Cheek’s brief cameos this season are a poor indicator as to the player he is now. That being said, it would not be surprising at all if the injury did impact him as a player. It will be hard to tell exactly without more evidence next season and perhaps even a season after that.

Chelsea may see the old Loftus-Cheek again next season, but there is also the very real prospect that he is never the same. That does not mean he cannot be good; it just means he may have to be different. The Blues will simply have to play a waiting game to see what Loftus-Cheek has to work with.