Journalist Luca Bianchin believes that Ruben Loftus-Cheek could return to having a crucial role at AC Milan under Massimiliano Allegri.
Milan are in the middle of another midfield rebuild after the exit of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City, and it was expected that Loftus-Cheek would follow him out of the door after a disappointing 2024-25 season.
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The Englishman had a positive debut season in Italy, netting 10 goals and becoming a very useful attacking midfielder. However, in the last campaign he reverted to struggling a lot with injuries, while neither Paulo Fonseca nor Sergio Conceicao seemed to want to use him much.
RLC the key?
Luca Bianchin – a journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport – posted a video on the Instagram page of the newspaper on the role that Loftus-Cheek could have with Allegri, and his comments were relayed by MilanNews.
“Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be the key player for Allegri’s Milan. The Englishman only played ten games as a starter last season with Milan: both with Fonseca and with Conceiçao he was peripheral. Zero goals all season,” he began.
“And yet look at Milan’s new midfield: without Tijjani Reijnders, Allegri will need a player capable of breaking away, restarting when needed and adding physicality. Modric is a phenomenon but he is not that type of player and Fofana is only partially that, at Milan he has developed above all the defensive part.
“Loftus-Cheek is at a crossroads: he has already managed to be a total player twice in his career. Once with Pioli, who wanted him at Milan and made him play practically always.
“One evening in the Champions League against PSG Loftus-Cheek seemed like Superman; the other at Chelsea with Sarri who returned to Lazio and said that they are a bit short in midfield.
“Loftus-Cheek is a bit of a particular type: he talks about meditation, reads the books of the Dalai Lama and his last public appearance was at Roland Garros.
“He is a great tennis fan and tennis offers a good metaphor: at Milan he won the first set by a landslide, ten goals in the first season, and lost the second with a truly disappointing season. The third set is the decisive one, in two Mondays we start.”
“Loftus-Cheek is a bit of a particular type: he talks about meditation, reads the books of the Dalai Lama and his last public appearance was at Roland Garros.”
So nowadays someone who’s down to earth kind of a lad that cherishes privacy, peace and slow living, is seen as a particular type. Ok.
Why Loftus-Cheek ‘could be the key player for Allegri’s Milan? Because why look for a replacement, when you already have someone have someone on the squad. Sure he is not great, consistent or able to stay healthy, but he is better than the alternative… spending money.
‘Why Musah-Pobega-RLC could be a Scudetto wining midfield trio’
You could write a book with that title. Too bad it would have zero pages though.
If he’s the key player, we are in for another awful season
If he can stay healthy, he’s got potential to be excellent, especially in Allegri’s setup.
But it’s a big ‘if’
I’ve given up on this. You can be the most talented player but you cant be a key player if you cant stay healthy. He didnt at chelsea, and he hasnt with us.
Can’t stay healthy. Two coaches now which one would think he’d be a key player for and nada! What a waste of money!
He can raise the spirits in infirmary room
RLC just doesn’t run, Modric is old. Both playing together will be a disaster