Loftus-Cheek is an 18 year old English centre midfielder who has been at Chelsea’s academy since the age of 8. Loftus-Cheek has trained full time with the senior squad for the last few weeks and Mourinho says he will probably move him into the first team in January.
Ruben also plays for the England under 19’s side and this season has been an ever-present part in the UEFA youth league and under-21 Premier League side. Last season he also captained our Youth Cup winners side and played a key role in Chelsea’s under-21 team that won the league for the 2013/14 season.
Loftus-Cheek is set to make his senior debut for Chelsea tonight (Wednesday) against Sporting.
Mourinho: ‘So tomorrow is Ruben’s day but it’s also the Academy’s day because it’s a clear message the first team is sending to them; work, work and with the right talent, the right moment will always arrive.’
‘To be here since he was eight and to have the chance to play his first Chelsea game is every kid’s dream. He wasn’t one of the players to start the season with me but the way he is training every time he comes gives me a guarantee of his quality and ambitions.’
Loftus-Cheek spoke with Mourinho in Tuesday’s press conference and spoke of his pride at the thought of playing for Chelsea.
‘It’s great, it’s amazing for me. I’ve been here for quite a while now – since I was eight – so to be involved, even just training with the first team, means a lot to me.
‘To play tomorrow night would be amazing. Since I was a young kid I’ve been watching Chelsea on the TV and thinking maybe one day I’ll be playing at Stamford Bridge.’
He then told the media about Chelsea’s academy.
‘We’ve got some good talent coming through. You have to think you can do it and be positive.
‘What we can do is do our best and when we get the opportunity to train with the first team we’ve got to show that we want to play, show that talent and the rest is up to the management staff.’
Loftus-Cheek will join fellow academy team mates Dominic Solanke and Andreas Christensen to make their first team debut under Mourinho this season.
