Thomas Tuchel hints at Ruben Loftus-Cheek start for Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Speaking in a press conference (h/t football.london), Thomas Tuchel has hinted that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will get a chance to feature for Chelsea when they face Aston Villa. The German gaffer spoke about how Loftus-Cheek was handed a deserved opportunity against Zenit and another one will be handed to him against Villa in the EFL Cup tonight.
Somehow and somewhere it has all gone wrong for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. One seen as a bright name to pop up from the academy, he has not quite lived up to the billing in recent years. It was only during the sole season under Maurizio Sarri that he got a decent amount of game time and looked close to being a first-team regular.
Chelsea tried to get him regular game time with loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham but they hardly provided anything of note. The burly midfielder has been tried in various positions including a striker. With so many star names in the squad, Loftus-Cheek finds himself on the periphery of the side.
However, he did receive some minutes in Chelsea’s Champions League opener against Zenit. It would seem his hard work has paid off as he could be handed another chance against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup fixture. Tuchel confirmed the same in his pre-match presser.
“We gave him some [minutes] against Zenit in a close game. That was not a gift, he deserved it and I trust him. He accepts his situation and what he makes out of it is good training every day. There is a big chance tomorrow he can show it.”
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These will be the sort of rare chances Loftus-Cheek will be afforded and he will have to make the most of them. The season will be a long one and Chelsea will play a lot of games. Such chances will arrive in the future as well and it will be up to him to show that he wants to be a part of the first-choice XI.