Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s England debut stalled for TWO years at Chelsea by bosses Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte after they blocked loans
Midfielder made his Three Lions debut in friendly against Germany and was named man-of-the-match
RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK saw his England dream stall as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho BLOCKED loan moves.
And the two Chelsea bosses then failed to give the 21-year-old enough first-team chances.
Loftus-Cheek, finally on loan at Crystal Palace, was the star of England’s draw with Germany.
But SunSport can reveal the gifted midfielder had a series of loan offers from Premier League clubs blocked by both then Chelsea boss Mourinho and his successor Conte.
Loftus-Cheek, man of the match against the Germans on Friday night, was finally allowed to leave on a year-long loan to Palace this summer.
Mourinho wanted RLC in his squad two seasons ago, then gave him just over an hour of top-flight action.
SUN BETS: BET £10 GET A FREE £30 BET
Conte also kept him last season — but did not start him in a single league game.
Loftus-Cheek, asked if a lack of games held him back, said: “Definitely.
LEGENDARY LINK-UP Anthony Joshua relaxes on Dubai beach with Chelsea legend John Terry
“You really feel the difference of what matches give you — the sharpness, the fitness. It’s what you need to progress.”
Loftus-Cheek has already played seven league games this season at Palace.
Chelsea transfer news
And now he is poised to return as a first-team player at Chelsea.
But Lions boss Gareth Southgate says his progress may have been halted by Blues team-mates.
Southgate said: “Senior players probably recognised the talent, saw the threat, and got into him in training.”
