Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted that ‘no decision’ has been made over the future of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the midfielder currently enjoying a positive spell out on-loan with Fulham.
The now 25-year-old initially made his debut for the Blues in a Champions League tie against Sporting CP back in December 2014, yet has struggled to become a permanent first-team presence under a succession of managers since then, with injuries also playing their part in curtailing his progress.
After a promising spell out on-loan with Crystal Palace in the 2017/18 campaign earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad that summer, the imposing midfielder was then brought back into the fold at Stamford Bridge the following season, before an achilles injury at the end of that season culminated in a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
The England international missed virtually the entirety of the 2019/20 campaign, only making his return from injury in June, before being allowed to join Scott Parker’s newly-promoted side in the summer on a season-long loan deal.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash between parent club Chelsea and current side Fulham this weekend, Blues boss Tuchel has admitted that he may still have a future at the club, while the former Paris Saint-Germain also drew comparisons between Loftus-Cheek and former Chelsea man Michael Ballack.
“I was quite a fan of him when he was even younger,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference. “It reminded us a bit of his style of play and movements with Michael Ballack. There were some links about him all the time with maybe a move to the German league so we were well aware of his talent.
“He is on loan now and doing well. It would be unfair to judge him from TV. I like to work with players and give my opinion then – maybe also pretty quick but also from a direct impression. I don’t know what my opinion is or the club’s opinion is. There’s no decision made yet.”
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