Loftus-Cheek feeling fit and strong physically and mentally

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back at Chelsea after a necessary season away, and while his time at Fulham wasn’t exactly the greatest loan ever (31 appearances, 22 starts, right around 2000 minutes, 1 goal), and Fulham would end up going back down to the second division, Loftus-Cheek himself got what he needed out of it.

“I had last season as a season where I can find my feet and it definitely felt like that at the start. I was struggling mentally and needed to focus on just taking risks in training and get that feel back. But it eventually came and I was doing really well in games, so I’ve had my injury and I’ve had a season now to get fit and feel confident in my body and this season is where I hit the ground running.”

Two years on from his Achilles rupture, the powerhouse midfielder looks set for a major comeback. He’s been training with the first-team since the start of the summer, and has perhaps the greatest chance from all the fringe players and returning loanees to make the team for the season ahead.

“I feel really fit now and strong, and hopefully the injuries stay away. Last season was my first full injury-free season which is a massive positive for me, because I always used to get niggles. Even though I was fit I’d be out for a week or a couple of days, miss a couple of matches, but last season was good for my body to be fit every training session and available for every game.”

-Ruben Loftus-Cheek; source: Chelsea FC

The fates have conspired against Ruben far too many times during his Chelsea career. Maybe it’s time for some good fortune, finally!