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Gareth Southgate has named England’s 55-man provisional World Cup squad and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been included.
The Lewisham born midfielder has had a key role at Stamford Bridge this season, earning plenty of minutes under both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
In the Premier League, he has started 10 from a possible 12 matches, making him a vital part of the Chelsea squad.
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Against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, Loftus-Cheek was involved in a 4-1 loss at the Amex Stadium.
Potter’s side as a whole did not perform well and despite unfortunately scoring an own goal, the 26-year-old still looked to be one of the better players on the pitch for the visitors.
So far it has been a massive season for the midfielder, he had always been a player who was rotated, but his consistent performances have seen him gain a bigger role.
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Back in 2019 was the last time he was such a constant figure in the side, when Maurizio Sarri utilised him to the fullest.
The Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in a charity game in the US severely stunted his career. Now though he looks back to his best.
With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar around the corner, he has found a good time to rediscover his top form.
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Before Chelsea’s Champions League win against RB Salzburg last week, Loftus-Cheek was asked about his chances of making the squad.
He responded: "It would be amazing, it would mean a lot. As a player going to the 2018 World Cup, you see your trajectory, to be at the next World Cup if everything goes well. A lot has happened in that time.
"I'm grateful I'm fit, playing consistently. That's all I can ask for. If I go (to the World Cup), it would mean the world. But that's not at the forefront of my mind.
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"We've got some big games coming up, it would be selfish to think of my personal aspirations over the club's at the moment."
The good news for Loftus-Cheek as reported in The Athletic is that he has been included in the provisional squad named by Southgate.
A 55-man list has been made and he has made the cut, this will need to be dropped down to 26 players before the tournament, with England likely to name theirs on November 10.
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This will leave the Cobham academy product wanting to impress in his next couple of fixtures for Chelsea.
On Wednesday, the west London side take on Dinamo Zagreb in their final group game in Europe.
While Denis Zakaria and Jorginho may be handed the midfield spots against the Croatian side, Loftus-Cheek could get an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility in the wing-back role.
With a big game to come against Arsenal on Sunday, that could give the midfielder another opportunity to show why he is worthy of a call up.
Topics: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Chelsea, Gareth Southgate, Football World Cup, England
Sam Collins