Maurizio Sarri believes Ruben Loftus-Cheek may always have to live with his back problems through his Chelsea career.
The 23-year-old has fought his way into the starting XI under the Italian with some excellent performances, however he has had to do it the hard way this season.
With only five Premier League starts to his name, Loftus-Cheek missed part of the campaign due to the re-emergence of his back issue that has dogged his career so far.
However, he has shown just how crucial he can be for the Blues with another impressive performance in the 1-1 Europa League draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night.
But Sarri believes that the back problem may never really go away for the England international.
"I don’t think Ruben will need surgery. We have to control him. He needs probably a particular way of training," Sarri said.
"I think that will be for a long period - probably forever. But I think we can avoid an operation.
"In the last month Ruben has been able to train every day, which for us is very important. Now he is fit and in Frankfurt he played very well.
"After 75-80 minutes he had cramp. That can happen. But I am really very happy with him."
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However, Loftus-Cheek believes that the back problems might be behind him moving forward.
"It's really good, I've been working hard; I haven't felt my back in a while, so those are really good signs and I hope to build on that," said Loftus-Cheek.
"I can only get stronger, fitter and faster. So for me I just keep my head down, keep working hard, keep a positive attitude. Hopefully the injury's calmed down and I can play regularly."
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