Thomas
Tuchel says Ruben Loftus-Cheek can "decide his own future" and earn a place
in Chelsea's first-team squad next season.
Loftus-Cheek, who made his Chelsea debut in 2014 but has seen his progress
hampered by injury, spent last season on loan at Fulham as they were
relegated from the Premier League.
Reports have suggested Chelsea are looking to offload the 25-year-old this
summer, but head coach Tuchel says Loftus-Cheek has the opportunity to prove
himself ahead of the new season.
"It's too early to judge Ruben" said Tuchel after Chelsea beat Arsenal in a
pre-season friendly at the Emirates. "He has everything in his hands. He can
decide his own future."
Loftus-Cheek plans to remain at Stamford Bridge and has promised that this
will be the season "I hit the ground running" at Chelsea.
"I had last season as a season where I can find my feet, and it definitely
felt like that at the start," he told the Chelsea website. "I was struggling
mentally and needed to focus on just taking risks in training and get that
feel back.
"But it eventually came and I was doing really well in games, so I've had my
injury and I've had a season now to get fit and feel confident in my body
and this season is where I hit the ground running."
"I feel really fit now and strong, and hopefully the injuries stay away,"
Loftus-Cheek added. "Last season was my first full injury-free season which
is a massive positive for me, because I always used to get niggles.
"Even though I was fit I'd be out for a week or a couple of days, miss a
couple of matches, but last season was good for my body to be fit every
training session and available for every game."
Tuchel non-committal on Zouma future
Defender Kurt Zouma, who is West Ham's top target this summer, has been
linked with a transfer away from Stamford Bridge as Chelsea pursue a deal
for Sevilla's Jules Kounde.
Tuchel was coy when asked about Zouma's future, saying: "Kurt comes from a
very different situation [to Loftus-Cheek].
"He has been with the team for half a year and I know what he can give to
the team. He was part of a very successful half season.
"He had some tough decisions against him, so the situation isn't the same as
Ruben."
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