Ruben Loftus-Cheek comes through 90 minutes unscathed with Chelsea U23

Ruben Loftus-Cheek won’t be taking part in today’s FA Cup last 16 match against Liverpool. That’s the unfortunate news.

But the good news is that he did take part in last night’s PL2 match for Chelsea U23. And that great news is that he completed the full 90 minutes and has appeared to do so without any setbacks.

As a bonus, the otherwise under-strength U23s (Broja and Anjorin both pulled up to first-team training) also won, 1-0, with RLC winning the penalty that Luke McCormick converted to maintain unbeaten Chelsea’s three-point lead at the top of the table.

Loftus-Cheek has been inching towards full fitness for about a month now, following a training ground friendly in early February. He was slated to play for the U23s last week, but ended up not featuring at all for them, after what was just a feel-good token bench appearance against Spurs for the first-team. Chelsea are clearly taking it slowly with the 24-year-old, and after such a major injury as a ruptured Achilles, it’s only understandable that we do so.

But, RLC is looking closer and closer and should be making his season debut sooner rather than later, one would hope!