Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is in contention to play against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The 26-year-old was absent for three weeks due to injury and even missed out last week’s trip to Abu Dhabi for the World Cup final.
He has now returned to training in the last few days and according to Tuchel, he is ready to play.
“He had problems with his Achilles. Not a big injury, but painful,” the German said in the press conference on Friday.
“Since he is back, he is very strong. I can see that he feels free. He is available for the game tomorrow.”
Mason Mount, on the other hand, is unfortunately still out.
The midfielder sustained an ankle injury during last week’s Club World Cup final and was seen leaving the stadium in crutches.
He is now likely to miss both Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park and the first leg match against Lille, according to Tuchel.
“He [injured his ligaments] in the first minutes of the final, unfortunately,” he explained.
“[The] Champions League [match] seems to be very, very close, so he’ll try for the League Cup final.”
Tuchel also invited a few academy stars; including Jude Soonsup-Bell and Harvey Vale, to recent first-team training, in case he needs more options at the weekend.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, will be without Conor Gallagher due to Premier League’s loan regulations.
Gallagher has been one of their best players this season, and recent reports suggest that Tuchel is convinced that the young midfielder can fight for a regular first-team role at Chelsea next season.
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