Ruben Loftus-Cheek has revealed that his loan spell at Crystal Palace last season allowed him to start really enjoying his football, as well as proving to himself that he has the physical fitness to play every few days.
After spending three years on the fringes of Chelsea‘s first team squad, the 22-year-old opted for a move across London to spend the 2017/18 season on loan at Crystal Palace.
He made 24 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, with only three of those being from the bench, and he has said that the regular game time allowed him to really enjoy his football:
“Being at Chelsea, it’s a top club with top players,” he told Sky Sports.
“When I’m training at 17 or 18 with the first team, it was really good for my education playing with these top players.
“I really enjoyed playing and training with them, I could feel myself getting better every day and improving, but it got to a point where training wasn’t enough and you need the exposure in the Premier League.
“That’s when I took the chance to go to Palace, and even when that happened, I thought I could’ve done it earlier. I started really enjoying my football, playing in the Premier League every week, and I felt the benefits.
“The benefit of last season at Palace [was first-team football]. I was fortunate enough to be fit for that period where it’s like a game every three days over Christmas, and I got my body used to being able to play, have a rest, then play on a Tuesday. That was massive for me and I coped with it well.”