Ruben Loftus-Cheek assures Milan \u2018believe fully\u2019 in coach Paulo Fonseca, reveals Zlatan Ibrahimovic\u2019s advice, not waiting around for England and why he wishes he\u2019d left Chelsea earlier in his career.<\/p>\n
The midfielder spoke to Times Sport now that he has fully settled into life in Italy, having impressed in his first season with 10 goals and two assists in 40 competitive games.<\/p>\n
He arrived just after Ibrahimovic retired, only for the Swede to return a few months ago as a special advisor to the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe makes sure he gets that point across to us that we\u2019re a big, prestigious club and the club wants to win, and he believes in us. So I think we need to give that energy back. We\u2019re working hard to do so,\u201d explained Loftus-Cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe watches training, but also we have meetings with him. He wants to help the players as much as possible. If we have questions for him, he\u2019s always there. So he\u2019s very hands-on with the role, which is good to see because you see the care that he has for us and the club and how much he wants us to achieve and do well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thinks I can score even more goals. So I need to focus on that. Mainly he wants me to be in and around the box scoring more goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ibrahimovic\u2019s advice is needed now more than ever, as the Rossoneri have stuttered under new coach Fonseca with just two points from three Serie A games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all believe fully in the manager. In training we\u2019re working every day. But I think in the moment when things are not going so well, you have to take a step back. Because sometimes it can feel like it\u2019s all coming down,\u201d insists Loftus-Cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cFans want to win, also we want to win. But we have to take a look at the big picture. We have a new manager, we need time to learn his ways and get things right. And I think when we do that, we\u2019ll be winning. I think we just need to work as much as we can on the pitch and keep believing. And things will come together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loftus-Cheek has truly flourished since the 2023 transfer to Milan, so it is perhaps unsurprising that he admits it was a move he should\u2019ve made earlier.<\/p>\n
Outlining the problems of making it through the academy to the senior team, he advises players at 15,16 to consider playing somewhere else, admitting he would\u2019ve left Chelsea at 16 if he\u2019d had the opportunity to do it all over again.<\/p>\n
That also stalled his potential for getting into the England team, as despite 10 caps in the past, Loftus-Cheek and Milan teammate Fikayo Tomori have been largely ignored by Gareth Southgate and interim manager Lee Carsley.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he wants to phone me, he\u2019s welcome to. But I\u2019ve got much more important things to focus on at the club at the minute. I haven\u2019t been in the set-up for a while, but if I\u2019m able to play well enough to get a chance to play for England, then that\u2019s great,\u201d replied Loftus-Cheek.<\/p>\n
It is often said that the Premier League is played at a higher tempo than Serie A, but it has its own unique difficulties that can prove useful in the development of a player.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeams are very clued up defensively and tactically. Sometimes you can get quite slow and you have to build up patiently, whereas in the Premier League it\u2019s very fast and furious. You may get more counterattacks and more open spaces in the Premier League. They are very different styles of play.\u201d<\/p>\n