Ruben Loftus-Cheek departed Crystal Palace in the summer with a promise from Roy Hodgson he would be welcome back at Selhurst Park if he ever left Chelsea, though the former England manager has not been surprised to see the midfielder seize his opportunity back at his parent club.
The 22 year old enjoyed an impressive loan spell last season despite a three‑month injury absence mid-season, making 24 league appearances and helping Palace stay up. The Chelsea youth-team graduate’s displays earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad but, with Maurizio Sarri only installed at Stamford Bridge in mid-July and anxious to assess the squad he inherited, Loftus‑Cheek struggled to make an impression.
Yet patience has paid off in the last few weeks, with a hat‑trick against Bate Borisov in the Europa League and a goal off the bench at Burnley last Sunday, then an impressive display against Derby in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Palace, who inquired as to his availability in the summer, had still hoped to secure the midfielder on another loan in January, though Sarri has since ruled out Loftus‑Cheek departing mid-season.
Hodgson said: “It was no secret we wanted him back, because he’d done so well and we didn’t want to lose any of that team which had done so well. Ruben made an enormous impression, played extremely well, and was a decisive figure towards the end of the season when we started to really climb up the league from around March onwards.
“When he left I congratulated him on his season, on being picked for England, and said: ‘Don’t forget, there’s always a place for you here. If you are moving on, we’d love to have you back. But I’m now expecting you to go to Russia to do extremely well for England, and for Chelsea to welcome you back with open arms. I’ll be surprised if you come back here, but you know you’re always welcome.’ That’s how we left it. I’m pleased now that, after a period when he didn’t seem to be getting many chances, he’s gone into the team and shown Chelsea what we saw in him: that he’s a top-class player.”
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