MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 01:01:24| >> :60:1839:1839:

Ruben Loftus-Cheek rules out Chelsea exit

Ruben Loftus-Cheek rules out Chelsea exit
© Reuters
The England midfielder has scored nine goals for the Blues this season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek refused to deny he is in talks over a new Chelsea contract.

The 23-year-old has scored nine goals this term and is confident he can put a long-term back problem behind him to reach his full potential.

Loftus-Cheek has two years to run on his Chelsea deal, but the Blues are keen to tie the midfielder down to longer terms at Stamford Bridge.

When asked if he is already in talks over a new deal, Loftus-Cheek grinned and said: "I'm not sure, I let my agent deal with it. I'm not thinking about that right now.

"It's important for me to focus on the here and now, and I'm playing right now.

"It's looking good so there's no reason why I should think about leaving Chelsea."

And when told he deserves a pay rise, Loftus-Cheek laughed and added: "There's no reason for me to leave. If I get a pay rise, that'll be great."

Loftus-Cheek will take a pivotal role in Chelsea's Europa League semi-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

N'Golo Kante will miss out due to a hamstring issue that leaves the France World Cup-winner in a race against time to be fit for the Europa League final should Chelsea reach the May 29 showpiece.

Loftus-Cheek has battled injury problems of his own and Blues manager Maurizio Sarri has previously admitted fearing the midfielder could battle niggling back problems for the rest of his career.

But the England international is confident he can overcome his long-term back spasms.

"I've had back injuries, lower back spasms, since I was 16 or 17 up to now," said Loftus-Cheek.

"It's something I've had in the latter part of my career, and it's something I've had to deal with and manage with the physios. It's hindered me a lot.

"But over the years learning about my body with the physios, we've come up with a routine to keep it at bay. We're working a lot.

"I don't think it's something I'll have to suffer for the rest of my career. I'm feeling really good now, the best I've felt. I've not had a twinge in my back for weeks now. It's looking really good.

"Playing the most games I've played this season, playing every three days, it's something I've never done before.

"It's important I get the right rest so my back's OK. So I might not do a whole training session two days after a game. I might just do half of it. I taper it that way.

"It's a good feeling to be seen as an important player for the team, to help the team win games. I think it's something I've never felt in my career.

"I've always been on the bench. At Palace, I felt like an important player, that I could help the team win games and be one of the main men in the team.

"Hopefully with more games and experience, I can be that player for Chelsea, too."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Nick Purewal, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '661b91ec-386f-4c50-81a4-6965f15377e6');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Ruben Loftus-Cheek has no plans to leave Chelsea'});

ID:358632: cacheID:358632:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5351:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Olivier Giroud in action for Chelsea on April 3, 2019
Read Next:
How Chelsea could line up against Frankfurt
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Blanch
Nadal
10am
Cachin
Ofner
10am
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
10am
Gasquet
Sonego
10am
Hanfmann
Mensik
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
10am
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
10am
Lajovic
Monteiro
10am
Machac
Ruusuvuori
10am
Michelsen
Fonseca
10am
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
10am
O'Connell
Arnaldi
10am
Purcell
Giron
10am
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
10am
Tabilo
Cobolli
10am
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
10am
Azarenka
Maria
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
10am
Gauff
Rus
10am
Keys
Camelia-Begu
10am
Podoroska
Navarro
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Baez
Van Assche
10am
Coric
Zverev
10am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
10am
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
10am
Hurkacz
Draper
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Altmaier
Fils
10am
Darderi
Fritz
10am
Griekspoor
Daniel
10am
Munar
Struff
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Navone
Rune
10am
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
10am
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
10am
Vekic
Sakkari
11.30am
Arango
Yastremska
11.30am
Osaka
Samsonova
11.30am
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
1pm
Haddad Maia
Errani
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!