Ruben Loftus-Cheek says he wants to nail down a position as a box-to-box midfielder for Chelsea as he closes in on a long-awaited injury return.
The England international has been absent since picking up an Achilles injury in a post-season friendly against MLS side New England Revolution in May , ensuring that he has missed out on the first few months of the Frank Lampard regime.
Loftus-Cheek had finally begun to establish himself under Maurizio Sarri last season, playing 40 games in all competitions and scoring 10 goals.
The 23-year-old would almost certainly have played a key role under Lampard this season had he been fit, with the former Blues midfielder giving chances to the club's young players such as Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Having picked up 10 England caps and enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace , Loftus-Cheek is now eager to make his mark again at Stamford Bridge.
"It’s going well!" Loftus-Cheek told Versus when asked about his injury rehabilitation.
"It’s been a long time and I’ve had a few setbacks as well. It’s never been just a straight path but I’m close now…I’ve been running and moving, I feel I’m right on the edge. I’m close and I can’t wait."
And when pressed on where he sees himself in the Chelsea team, Loftus-Cheek had a clear answer.
"I’m most effective as a box-to-box midfielder," he said.
"Getting up and down, creating and also defending. I’ve played in a number of positions because I’m versatile so it’s easy for managers to move me around.
"I played left and right midfield at Palace but I managed to do well. That’s cool when you’re coming up but as I’m maturing I kinda want to nail down one position and hopefully that position is box to box."
