Jose Mourinho thinks that Rubin Loftus-Cheek has to take his chances as and when the opportunity arises this season. Mourinho is never the one to mince words. More often than not he uses it to his advantage by pushing his players to improve their performance.
This is not the first time the Portuguese tactician has put the England youngster in spotlight. Early in the pre-season after a friendly win against Sydney FC, Mourinho blasted his performance. Though Loftus-Cheek took the criticism as a timely reminder of the work he has to do, it put into context Mourinho’s expectations of him.
The 19-year-old has long been touted as a future England international. He has already started for the Blues in matches against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at the end of last season.
Mourinho is often riled for not promoting enough academy players to the main team. That was the criticism he faced in his previous stint at the Stamford Bridge as also his stints with Real Madrid and Inter Milan. But, the ‘special one’ thinks it depends on the players.
It depends on him not on me. You have to ask him. People normally ask about chances and chances and chances and maybe that’s a good excuse for the young players to be where they are.
Getting into the first team at Chelsea is a tough proposition as players like Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne or Andre Schurrle found out. But, if he shows right drive to fight for his place, Loftus-Cheek could soon be playing more games.
As things stand, we may not see the England under-21 international leaving the club on loan. He could be around the squad, although games will be limited. Mourinho will hope that he can pick up his game and improve his mentality.
Mind games is always Mourinho’s forte. He uses it to his advantage against opponents and also his own players. Only time will tell if this time he is successful.
