Ruben Loftus-Cheek Hints at Long-Term Chelsea Stay & Reveals Impact Sarri Has Made on Him
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek appears to be happy fighting for his place in the club's first team this season after talking up his relationship with newly appointed manager Maurizio Sarri.
England international Loftus-Cheek has made just four appearances across all competitions this season, but the 22-year-old scored an impressive hat-trick during his last outing in a Europa League group stage match against BATE Borisov.
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Loftus-Cheek's performance at Stamford Bridge has seen his stock in the transfer market rise. However, the midfielder insists that he is only interested in developing with Chelsea, adding that he's a big fan of Sarri's tactics in west London.
"As a player-manager relationship, it works. It would be daft for me not to take in what he is telling me. He is a top manager," Loftus-Cheek told Standard Sport.
"For me to learn from him is great for my development. I will keep doing that. I will keep listening and learning whenever I’m on the pitch or in training.
"He is asking me to improve defensively and positionally. We are working on it every day in training and he is very demanding with the team.
"He is so demanding on shape, but also wants you to play freely as well, which is why we can play such creative attacking football. It is really good work."
Sarri himself revealed that he spoke with Loftus-Cheek at the start of the summer to assure the midfielder that he is firmly in the Italian's plans this season.
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The World Cup semi-finalist with England can expect a bigger run in the team over the next few weeks following his three-goal haul in Europe, starting with a match against Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.
