Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek said he has not developed as he would have liked as a player with injuries playing a big part.
Loftus-Cheek has played regularly for Chelsea this season, having featured in all but one of the side’s 20 games this season.
N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic’s injuries have clearly helped Loftus-Cheek, but it still took him longer than initially expected to be an important member of the first-team squad.
He broke into the first team in 2014/15 under Jose Mourinho and was permanently promoted to the senior squad in February 2015.
Seven years and two loan spells later, the midfielder is happy to be playing regularly for his boyhood club, although he is not satisfied with his progress.
“I’m in a phase now where I feel really good, I’m fit, I’m healthy, and I’m playing,” the versatile midfielder told Chelsea’s official website.
“I have had a lot of challenges physically and mentally that have halted my development and made things difficult.
“The injuries I’ve had have been very difficult to deal with. I have had so much time off the pitch. I haven’t developed as much as I would have liked, but that’s how it goes.
“The first thing I wanted after so many setbacks and injuries was to feel happy and healthy, and now I do.
“It makes you appreciate the career you’ve had and how I’m feeling now.”
The Achilles’ injury he sustained in 2019, in particular, had a big impact on the England international’s career as a player.
He was out of action for over a year and has arguably yet to regain the explosiveness he had prior to the injury.
Still, his versatility has proved important to Chelsea in the last couple of seasons, and at 26, the fans may have not seen the best of him as a player.
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