HE was supposed to be the next big thing at Chelsea.
He made his debut aged just 18 under Jose Mourinho.
But in the end, he wishes he left sooner – because staying at Stamford Bridge shunted his progress.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek racked up more than 150 appearances for his boyhood club, first joining the academy aged eight.
He chipped in with 13 goals and 17 assists – plus got his hands on three trophies, including the Premier League and Europa League.
But arguably his loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham provided his best football.
Loftus-Cheek, who earned his ten England caps from 2017 to 2018 including four at the World Cup, did leave Chelsea permanently after 19 years in 2023, joining AC Milan in Italy.
In his impressive debut season at the San Siro, he racked up ten goals in 40 appearances.
And now he looks back wishing he made the call to quit Chelsea sooner for the benefit of his career.
Now 28, Loftus-Cheek told The Times: “I think if you’re a youngster, seven or eight years old, and you’ve signed with Chelsea, fantastic.
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“Because it’s a great academy and you’ll learn how to play football, you’ll develop your skills there and a great coach is coaching you.
“But it gets to a point, maybe at 15, 16, where you’re getting to that stage where it’s youth-team football.
“And you might want to start thinking about going and playing somewhere else. Because it’s very difficult now to just go straight through.
“The best way to develop is by playing games and playing men’s football.
“And it’s easier to do that somewhere else at a lower club. And I feel like that’s what I missed out on, I think.”
Like Loftus-Cheek, homegrown talents Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Mason Mount, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all been sold by Chelsea in recent years.
That has helped balance the books for Todd Boehly’s mega spending and create space in the squad for the host of expensive signings.
