Jamie Redknapp has insisted Ruben Loftus-Cheek can work his way into the Chelsea team after Frank Lampard's decision to deploy the midfielder in a wide-right role against Aston Villa.
The England international had missed ever game of the 2019/20 season prior to the first match of the restart in competition for the Blues but was selected to start at Villa Park.
Having often been deployed in a central-attacking midfield role, for club and country with Chelsea and Crystal Palace, as well as England, Loftus-Cheek linked up on the right side of Chelsea's front three from kick-off.
That meant Willian lined up on the left while Mason Mount took up a central position alongside N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, although Loftus-Cheek and his Brazilian wing-mate seemed to switch position and sides at will.
Willian is expected to leave Chelsea in the summer once his contract runs out along with Pedro, who was named on the bench. Hakim Ziyech was already been signed to join the Blues from Ajax this summer, and can play out wide or as a playmaker through the middle.
Rumours persist that other attacking midfielders such as Kai Havertz, Jadon Sancho or Brentford winger Said Benrahma could end up joining the squad at Stamford Bridge this summer too, with Loftus-Cheek needing to stake a claim in the team with plenty of competition across the roles he can play.
The wide right position is one that Loftus-Cheek also took up in recent friendly matches used by Chelsea to prepare for the Premier League's return and Redknapp believes it is an area he can make an impact and work his way into the starting XI in the long-term.
"Loftus-Cheek playing today, it's going to be interesting to see how he balances that midfield," Redknapp told Sky Sports.
"It looks to me like it will be Kante, Kovacic and Mount just behind and he'll play in a right-sided position, which wouldn't be natural for him.
"But, he's got a real presence, he can get at the back post, come into those little pockets, run with the ball, he's got such good size and really close control for a tall player.
"I'm interested to see how it works. I feel sorry for him because he's had lots of injuries but he's only 24. I remember in the World Cup, he was excellent and then picked up injuries.
"He did well at Palace and Pulisic is on the bench. Frank's picked him ahead of him, it's a big chance for him.
"I don't think he's a right-sided player but he's played there in the last few weeks, it has suited him to a certain extent because he can come in off the sides, pick the ball, link up with Giroud and force his way into the team."
Kevin De Bruyne has come to dominate the Premier League as one of the leading creative midfielders in Europe over the past three years by playing in the spaces between the usual areas that central playmakers and wingers take up, allowing him to dictate moves but also put in dangerous balls from the flanks.
Given his own unique range of attributes, and ability to play across the front line and in midfield, Loftus-Cheek could be a fascinating player to develop in a similar fashion if he can bend the usual positional rules to Chelsea and Lampard's advantage.
