Pat Nevin thinks Ruben Loftus-Cheek is looking so much better in AC Milan colours after leaving Chelsea in the summer.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who’s a boyhood Chelsea fan to rise through the Blues academy, finally left Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis in the recent transfer window.
The 27-year-old midfielder has made a strong start to life at the San Siro, starting every match so far for Italian giants Milan.
His latest outing was a strong display last night in a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United in the Champions League group stages.
BBC pundit Nevin really enjoyed Loftus-Cheek’s eye-catching performance in midfield against Newcastle.
Interestingly, he thinks the Englishman is playing with a lot more freedom than in his Chelsea days.
“Without trying to be cheeky, is that guy Loftus-Cheek related in any way to the Ruben who played for Chelsea?” Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live (6:10pm, 19 September).
“He has the ball in midfield, turns and does what he didn’t do at Chelsea. He’s hammered forward and lashed it from 20 yards. He always looked a bit tentative in the final third, look at him here. His first thought is to go on goal. He looks like a player who has been freed by moving from west London.”
Loftus-Cheek is slowly turning into a £14million bargain (Evening Standard) for Milan.
He was very useful in the Chelsea squad last season as a versatile option that filled many holes, but he’s definitely benefiting now from a settled run in the Milan XI in the same spot.
We’re starting to see the best of Loftus-Cheek as a genuine box-to-box central midfielder.
Incidentally, The Athletic recently claimed that Chelsea inserted a sell-on clause in Loftus-Cheek’s transfer to Milan.
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