The former Chelsea midfielder has been on a long, gruelling journey, but he has earned a long-awaited international recall
R
uben Loftus-Cheek was riding high. The 2018‑19 season had been very good for him. The midfielder scored 10 goals for Chelsea and there was one game to come: the Europa League final against Arsenal. Beyond that, he had an eye on the Nations League finals with England and the chance to add to his 10 caps. Four of them had come at the 2018 World Cup in Russia; memories that will never fade. He was only 23. He was about to take the next step. And then it all fell apart.
Loftus-Cheek is addressing the media at St George’s Park. He could be forgiven for pinching himself after being given an England recall on Tuesday as a late replacement for the injured Adam Wharton. Did anyone expect Thomas Tuchel to turn to him for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia? Did Loftus-Cheek dare to dream himself? His previous call-up had been in March 2019 when he was forced to withdraw through injury. The last of his caps was against USA in November 2018.
Loftus-Cheek’s excitement is palpable. He has a new manager in Max Allegri at Milan, where he has played since his £15m move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, and plenty of new teammates after a busy transfer window including Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot and Christopher Nkunku. Now this. But as Loftus-Cheek looks forward, it is inevitable that he also goes back – to the fateful game when everything changed.
