Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has now confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will start the next few games after the international break for his side. The 19-year-old midfielder is presently part of the England Under-21 squad to play Kazakhstan in Coventry in the upcoming week, but speculations say that he could be part of the Blues’ squad to face Aston Villa on his return to domestic football.

The west London side are not performing at the moment and are currently placed at 16th in the points table, with the Portuguese boss all set offer the bright young star a chance to establish himself in midfield. He stated, “Clearly it is time. Not to play four, five or six kids – some are not ready – but Ruben is a case where he’s more ready, and if everything goes normal during the next two weeks, he’s a player to start the next game and a run of matches, to try and get that stability as a first-team choice. Not to save the season. The profile of the moment and the profile of the young players makes it a good moment. In difficult moments, what’s the best thing? Can the most experienced players cope better? When I don’t play John Terry everyone says: “Why don’t you play the captain? The team needs the captain’s leadership and personality. With Ruben, it is exactly the same. Ruben, Matic, Fabregas or Ramires? Who can cope the best with the pressure? Maybe with the situation so negative for us, the young player feels less pressure than when the team is top of the league.”