When he joined from Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was decisive for AC Milan on several occasions. However, that player disappeared a little.
There is no denying that Loftus-Cheek is an immensely talented player, and this has always been known. Throughout his time in London and after moving to Milan, it was evident that he was a phenomenal player.
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The caveat, though, has always been injuries; last season proved as much. With consistency, Loftus-Cheek proves to be a very capable player whom the Rossoneri can depend on. But, the issue relates to being able to depend on him, and there have been several occasions where the club have not been able to.
A new hope
With some time sidelined and the new start under Massimiliano Allegri, the midfielder is showing to be decisive once again, as Gazzetta dello Sport write this morning, as can be seen below. A ‘major new signing’, the Englishman can be pivotal in the midfield this year.
From the mould of midfielders that Allegri has always appreciated, Loftus-Cheek can be a standout in the Italian’s team. From Paul Pogba to Adrien Rabiot, he can become the next.
A goal against Liverpool was the latest sign of his resurgence. Against Arsenal, he also showed himself to be a player reborn, seemingly. Last season, he missed 27 games, something which he (and everyone) hopes will not be repeated.
Allegri has a history with this type of midfielder. So, if Loftus-Cheek can avoid the issues that have haunted him for so long, everyone will smile.
I’m curious to see how RLC will fit into Allegri’s system. Pioli liked him in that hybrid CAM/second striker role and he looked very good for stretches. He certainly has the athletic tools for it – size, physicality, mobility and dribbling. Let’s see if he can find the back of the net consistently.
These people really need to relax. He had one good half against Liverpool’s B team.
B team? Yeah right.
Yeah, go back and watch the game. Van Djik and Robertson came off at half and Gravenbach, a midfielder, was at CB. Wake up.
Preseason never been a point of reference
He is not a bad player but always has issues with injuries. Might be good “added value” player for the team but not a starter. Hard to find a similar player.
Good points. With Modric, Fofana, and Ricci, it’s a tough midfield to break into. But depth is good.
I’m a huge Musah fan but he really hasn’t developed. He needs to go someplace (mid or lower table Serie A or La Liga) where he can get some more playing time and confidence. His decision making seems off.
How quickly people forget. One bad season plagued by injuries and hes trash in the eyes of the keyboard warriors. Yet every coach that arrives sees unique qualities in him that they want to use. They must be clueless? Its not like they spend every day in training with him like the masterminds here do.
Chelsea sold him because he was injured every second season. It isn’t a new story…
I dont´t understand why so many is so god damn negative about AC Milan but they clearly like the team. In every article i read there is people like “Sure” who always have some negative thing to spread. It is so exhausting. Just go outside and touch grass or something. Jesus.
RLC looks great in preseason and i hope he will stay fit.
I am feeling positive about this season and i think we will be very competitive 🙂 Forza Milan
As many of you have pointed out. RLC is or can be a starter. He isnt a world beater but he is really good. But as good as you are, if you are injured 60% of the time, you cant be counted on and are of no value to the team. Chelsea let him go, not because he was bad, but because he was injured often. If he can magically stay healthy, absolutely, he is a starter on our team. Think last season, had he been healthy, he would’ve played instead of Musah. ….. how many times did we see musah play? … exactly.
Good for RLC (the superlatives in the above article – the next Pogba? Rabiot? – notwithstanding Let’s just see if he can play 30+ games unhurt this year).
Playing on the counter means a mix of speed (Leao, Pulisic, Salemaekers) and hold up/back to the ball (Leao again, RLC) play. I like RLC in the CAM/#10 role against some teams.
The otherwise mediocre commentator for the Liverpool game did make an interesting observation- Milan are big. Hoping they can get more goals off set pieces and defend better against them. A lot of big bodies this year.
Seems to stay fit and play well every other season. Let’s hope this is the “every other season”. Then sell him …
I like RLC…but come on…his only issues is injuries? he is an attacking midfielder who has 10 assists in 13 career seasons. Rafa and Pulisic had more assists last year. He is big and strong and carries the bar well and has a nose for goal…But he cannot see the field and often drives the ball directly into the defense. look at the Liverpool game. RLC has the ball on a 4 against two break. He passes the ball to Rafa who is being marked…missing the wide open Salad. This is his problem, more than injuries.
I don’t think it was just injuries keeping him off the field last year – my opinion is that we did not rotate our midfield enough, so he never saw the field when he was healthy. And the team suffered for it, with the midfield frequently looking fatigued to me, especially Fofana. RLC can actually play a lot of spots in midfield and even right back/right wingback. However, he’s better on the right side of the midfield, but not on the edge. His finishing skills are pretty good. His dribbling is quality – very hard to take the ball off him. He’s an aerial presence in the box. I actually think his main strength is his versatility. He can fill in a lot of holes. Musah is very similar in that respect – not the best at anything, but good enough at a lot of things.
Now, this year, we know that we’re going to rotate at least Modric, because he can’t handle a heavy load. But otherwise, there aren’t as many games, so we don’t need as much depth in midfield. And then we’re probably keeping Saladmakers in the squad this year, so there’s less room at RWB, too. I think that means we should be loaning out multiple players, probably including Musah.
It was a just one game. And preseason at that 🙄