Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned from injury to play 25 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.
The 23-year-old had been sidelined with a back problem since the beginning of January but is now fit to start games.
Fans on Twitter want manager Maurizio Sarri to start Loftus-Cheek when the Blues face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this evening:
He Needs To Play Ahead Of Barkley
— SB (@Akinaija) 29 January 2019
Get him straight into the starting XI please
— Ben Redman (@bwrtwitty) 29 January 2019
Glad to have Rubes back ??
— Omar (@OWalaya) 29 January 2019
He is now good enough to start in all our crucial matches, also getting better defensively as well
Cheek>Kova>Barkley— Yadu krishnan kk (@Yadu_Chelsea) 29 January 2019
Ruben starts or riot
— Chelsea pepe (@pepe_chelsea) 29 January 2019
Start him over Barkley
— Edenism™ (@thechelseaism) 29 January 2019
Start him next game.
— . (@SarriballEra) 29 January 2019
#stubbornsarri should be accommodating and accept that it is his responsibility to build a strong bench. That means giving the talented young guns a run in the first team. The best we can do is a top 4 finish. Sure go for the cups but build for the future. #ChelseaFC #cfc
— BlueJay (@krisbluejay) 30 January 2019
Start ruben sarri
— R.I.P SISKO??? (@Theophilusagyi3) 30 January 2019
BETTER THAN BARKLEY
— ʇɔǝɟɹǝd s,ʎpoqou (@ydobon78) 29 January 2019
The England international has only started one Premier League this season. That came in the 2-1 loss to Wolves back in December.
Loftus-Cheek’s performances have been very good every time he has been called upon this season but Sarri has expressed concern about the midfielder’s tactical understanding.
Still, his six goals in 18 appearances show he could provide some much-needed cutting edge in Chelsea’s midfield.
Loftus-Cheek has scored just one fewer than the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Jorginho combined this campaign.
Whether Sarri will see fit to recall him this evening, we shall have to wait and see.
