Maurizio Sarri believes Ruben Loftus-Cheek has massive potential and that he can go on to become one of the elite midfielders in Europe after the England international’s scintillating performance against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday.
The Blues went on to put five past the hapless Ukrainians in a match that once again showed the 23-year-old’s rare combination of strength, skill, pace and technical ability. It was an impressive 90-minute showing from Loftus-Cheek, who provided the assist for Olivier Giroud’s opener just five minutes into the game.
Just over the half-hour mark, the Chelsea midfielder embarked on what is quickly turning out to be a trademark run, riding off the challenge from a Dynamo player to start a move which led to Giroud’s and the west London side’s second goal.
While he made just his 10th start of the current campaign on Thursday – his first since early January owing to a back injury – he grabbed the opportunity to once again stake his claim in the Chelsea XI. Already with two goals and six assists in limited game time for the Stamford Bridge outfit, he is proving to be a very effective midfielder especially on the offensive side – something either Mateo Kovacic or Ross Barkley hasn’t been of late.
And Sarri has been keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old’s progress. First, the Chelsea boss has welcomed Loftus-Cheek’s return to full fitness, before going one further, stating the England international will be one of the continent’s most touted midfielders in the near future.
“He did very well. He is improving in the last month,” said the ex-Napoli boss. “He has been able to train after the problem with the back. He had a wonderful match and I’m really happy he could play for 90 minutes.
“His potential as a player is very, very, high. Physically, technically and tactically he is improving, he can become one of the best midfielders not only in England but in Europe.”
