Chelsea Manager Graham Potter has revealed at a press conference that Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus- Check is the one Chelsea player that has really impressed him since he became Chelsea manager.
With injuries to N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic lacking match fitness, Potter has mostly deployed Ruben Loftus- Check alongside Jorginho in Chelsea’s midfield.
There are calls by Chelsea fans for the –year-old Chelsea midfielder to be included in England 26 men’s squad for the World Cup by Gareth Southgate.
However, Graham Potter has admitted that the decision on whether Loftus-Check goes to the World Cup lies with England manager Graham Potter, despite the 26-year-old impressive performance this season.
What did Graham Potter say about Ruben Loftus-Check and his Chances of making it to the World Cup?
At a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League encounter with RB Salzburg, Graham Potter said: “He has really impressed me, Ruben, on and off the pitch. He is a humble guy who wants to learn and improve. He’s clearly benefitted from game time, but the way he has trained is really, really good when he hasn’t played. So that has allowed him to build his fitness up.
“Clearly, he needs a good fitness level to carry that big body of his around the pitch, but his quality is there. He is fantastic on the ball, has great physicality, and is a great athlete. I think he is putting himself in a situation where he will be one of the players Gareth [Southgate] will be looking at as an outsider for the squad. But that is Gareth’s decision.”
Meanwhile, Ruben Loftus- Cheek has admitted that it will be amazing for him to represent England at the World Cup in Qatar.
The Chelsea midfielder was part of the England Squad that finished fourth in the last edition of the World Cup in Russia in 2018. He came on as a substitute in England’s opener against Tunisia.
He said on Red Bull Arena: “It would be amazing. It would mean a lot.
“As a player going into the 2018 World Cup, you see your trajectory to go upwards and to be at the next World Cup – if everything goes well.
“A lot has happened in that time and I am just happy and grateful that I am fit and healthy and playing football now consistently. If I go to the World Cup off the back of what I am doing now, it would mean the world but that is not at the forefront of my mind now.
“We’ve got some big games coming up at the club and they need my full focus. It would be selfish for me to think about my personal aspirations rather than the club at the moment.”
Loftus-Cheek added: “I’m feeling as strong and as quick and as fit as I’ve been for a long time.
“I feel like I’m at a moment in my career at Chelsea where I’m impacting games and I feel like a big part of the squad, helping the team. That’s not always been the case for me at Chelsea, for various reasons, but now I’m in the position it feels great.
“That’s what I’ve wanted to feel since I was 17 or 18 and now I just want to kick on and keep hold of that feeling.”
