Gareth
Southgate says Ruben Loftus-Cheek has suffered at Chelsea because senior
players have felt threatened by his talent.
Loftus-Cheek made his England debut on Friday against Germany at Wembley,
and impressed enough to earn the man-of-the-match award.
The midfielder has been at Chelsea since he was a child, but has struggled
to break into the first-team at Stamford Bridge, and is spending this season
on loan at Crystal Palace.
Southgate said: "He has been able to battle through difficult spells at
Chelsea, training with senior players who recognise his talent so get into
him in training.
"Have they kept him in his place? Yes, I imagine they probably saw the
threat.
"This season going out and playing has helped him. In the early season I saw
him and he showed flashes of what we saw against Germany. I think he can
affect big matches like he did."
Despite the plaudits that Loftus-Cheek earned for his performance against
the world champions, Southgate believes that there are plenty of
improvements for the 21-year-old still to make.
He said: "I've known Ruben a long time - I think the first time I saw him
was in an under-16 international.
"I've had plenty of long conversations with him over the years about the
areas he is really strong in and the areas he needs to develop.
"He can probably add a little bit more quality in the final third. He can
probably go and score more goals given some of the attributes he has, but I
was really pleased to see the effect he had and to get a performance like
that.
"When you see his physical size, you think you'll see a certain type of
player. Then I saw what you all saw against Germany - one that is so
technically-gifted.
"He's at his best receiving the ball behind the opposition midfield, driving
towards goal and sliding passes into people. He can take the ball under
pressure too which is a great skill to have."
"He's an unassuming, quiet, polite kid. I hope he takes huge belief and
confidence from that because he's shown what he is capable of."
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