UK Edition
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is finally delivering - he can be Chelsea's most important player in a post-Eden Hazard world
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has finally cracked it. There have never been any doubts about his talents, but at 23 people were starting to wonder whether he would ever live up to that promise.
Before this season he had made just 46 Premier League appearances (compare that to almost 200 for Raheem Sterling, who is just a year older), and more of them were for Crystal Palace during a season-long loan than for Chelsea - the club he's been at since he was eight.
Even in January the questions lingered. A combination of a recurring back injury and a lack of trust from manager Maurizio Sarri meant he saw very little playing time in the first half of the season. At that point it seemed almost inevitable that he would be forced to leave Chelsea and kickstart his career elsewhere, at a club with humbler ambitions.
But now? You only need to look to his performance in Thursday night's 1-1 draw away at Einfracht Frankfurt to see how important he has become.
Loftus-Cheek was utterly dominant throughout the Europa League semi-final first leg, by a distance the best player on the pitch. He won 11 duels (the most on either team), completed nine of his 11 take-ons (the most on either team), created three chances (the most on either team), had four shots, won possession back in all three thirds of the pitch, won two free-kicks and provided the crucial assist for Pedro's equaliser.
The numbers only tell part of the story. The way Loftus-Cheek repeatedly drove Chelsea forward was reminiscent of two past Chelsea favourites, Michael Ballack (fans call Loftus-Cheek the Lewisham Ballack) and Michael Essien. The ball appears elasticated to his feet when he surges through the centre of the park, and he's learned how to use his strength and naturally large frame to keep possession and send opponents pinballing off him.
Loftus-Cheek is now unquestionably Chelsea's best option on the left of Sarri's midfield three. Where Mateo Kovacic has been totally ineffective and Ross Barkley hit and miss, Loftus-Cheek adds energy, dynamism, and most importantly, a goal threat.
He has five in 22 Premier League appearances this season - as many as Kovacic, Barkley and Jorginho combined - despite 17 of those appearances coming from the bench. As a regular starter, he has the potential to add the types of tallies Chelsea have sorely lacked ever since the departure of Frank Lampard in 2014.
That eye for goal will become even more vital should Eden Hazard leave for Real Madrid this summer, as is expected. Hazard has been Chelsea's only dependable source of goals since Antonio Conte exiled Diego Costa, and if Fifa upholds its impending transfer ban they won't be able to replace him.
The future, for once, will have to come from inside the building. Fans have been clamouring for the club to make proper use of their incredibly talented academy for years, and now they may not have a choice. Loftus-Cheek, when fit, should be one of the first names on the team sheet. He should be joined by the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and eventually Reece James, the 19-year-old right-back who has stolen the hearts of Wigan Athletic fans while on loan this season.
But it's Loftus-Cheek who is the fulcrum. He was patient, willing to wait it out and earn his chance as his career repeatedly stalled at Chelsea, but is now ready to become a genuine idol for both club and country. A player who the Stamford Bridge faithful can get behind as one of their own and whose name they can sing from the stands. Loftus-Cheek's days as a precocious talent are over, but the next chapter is very bright indeed.