Chelsea boss José Mourinho has claimed that youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been improving a lot in the last few months and is expected to get more first-team opportunities compared to last season.
The Chelsea academy has been criticised heavily for not producing a first-team player. The closest they have come since the days of John Terry is defender Ryan Bertrand, who has since joined Southampton on a permanent transfer. Loftus-Cheek is probably the next big thing to come from the academy and a lot of hope is placed upon him. There appeared to be some friction between him and manager Mourinho during pre-season, but it seems to have been sorted.
The 19-year-old made his Champions League full debut in the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Many saw the inclusion of the youngster ahead of the experienced Nemanja Matic as a major gamble. This was seen as a statement of intent from Mourinho after witnessing his team make a horrible start to the season. However, this gamble paid off in the most exuberant fashion after Loftus-Cheek was named as the man of the match due to his brilliant contribution in all areas of the pitch. Following this impressive performance, Mourinho has promised the youngster more opportunities in the near future.
"I think he's in the condition to compete with the other players for positions, for opportunities, for minutes, but he's getting minutes.He's potentially a very good player. But you have to feed these young players, and you have to choose the right moment. But the reality is that his evolution is important and good," said Mourinho, who has been criticised in the past for not helping young players develop. The Portuguese has often gone for experienced professionals instead of developing young players who may be highly inconsistent during a season.