Ruben
Loftus-Cheek’s father says Jose Mourinho "held him back" during his time as
Chelsea manager.
The 21-year-old, who has played eight times this season while on loan at
Crystal Palace, impressed on his England debut against Germany on Friday,
earning the man-of-the-match award.
Mourinho handed Loftus-Cheek his senior Chelsea debut in 2014 in a Champions
League tie against Sporting Lisbon but the midfielder only made a further
eight appearances under the Portuguese before he left Stamford Bridge for a
second time in December 2015.
However, his father, Trevor, believes Loftus-Cheek would have flourished if
he had been working under someone like Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.
"Jose Mourinho held him back," he told the Daily Mail.
"He should have been playing. Everyone behind the scenes was asking: 'why
isn't he playing?' If Ruben was playing for Mauricio Pochettino, he'd have
70, 80, 90 first team appearances by now.
"He is like a Rolls Royce. He used to win all of the player of the year
awards.
"But once Chelsea clapped eyes on him they knew what he was. They knew he
was special."
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