/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68661704/1230496175.0.jpg)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek hasn’t exactly set the football world on fire with his loan to Fulham Football Club, but the 24-year-old Chelsea man is getting regular minutes and opportunities to try to get back to the levels he was at before his devastating Achilles injury.
And according to Fulham boss and former Chelsea midfielder Scott Parker, RLC’s doing just that.
“I certainly still see lots and lots of levels from Ruben — this is a technically gifted beyond belief player. I see him getting better and better with each game.
“Goals, assists, grabbing games by the scruff of the neck – these are all elements of Ruben’s game that he can do. There’s only a handful of players you can probably say that about, so it just shows you the capabilities he has.”
Ruben got his first full-90 since the last day of the 2018-19 season in Fulham’s last Premier League match, a 0-0 draw against Southampton on Boxing Day, and he also played 90 minutes in their only game since, the 2-0 extra-time victory over QPR in the FA Cup third round. Presumably, he will be involved to some extent as well in today’s rescheduled league match against Spurs, managed by a certain José Mourinho, who used to talk big game about Ruben back in the day, but rarely gave him the proper opportunities.
Parker’s certainly doing that as much as he can. Fulham putting together a decent run, four straight draws in the league to give them hope of moving out of the relegation zone, certainly won’t hurt either.
“I thought he did very well against QPR.
“Ruben’s been out for some time – this is probably the only consistent run of games he’s had over the last 18 months. We’re certainly seeing big improvements in that. He came on against Everton, got a goal, and again at the weekend he showed his quality in moments.
“He’s probably getting to know us a little more and what’s expected of him.”
-Scott Parker; source: Football.London
Let’s hope RLC’s progression continues in the second-half of the season and sets him up for a glorious Chelsea return next season!