Ruben Lofuts-Cheek has warned Chelsea he will not stay at the club if he is handed a restricted role next season.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace and established himself as an integral player for Roy Hodgson.
Loftus-Cheek was a surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s 23-man England squad and has been tipped to make his third start for the Three Lions when they play Panama on Sunday.
The gifted midfielder is regarded as one of the most exciting English prospects but has so far failed to break into the Chelsea first team.
Loftus-Cheek’s reputation has soared over the last 12 months and he is adamant that he will not let his career stagnate further at Chelsea.
“That’s the key for me next season where I end up. I want to play,” Sky Sports quote Loftus-Cheek as saying.
“I want to play as much as I can. And even this past season just gone I didn’t play as much as I would have liked because of injuries. So I still feel I need a proper season of playing, wherever it is.
“I do understand Chelsea are a big club and there is always pressure on managers to win games and trophies. So I understand they might not be willing to take a chance on someone at a bigger club.
“Ever since I was in the Chelsea academy, I’ve had that awareness that people were saying I would be the first one to break through since John Terry. I believed I could but the opportunities didn’t come for me.
“It’s hard to keep training at your best but I made sure I did for when the time came, or when I did get opportunities like at Palace.
“We’ll see what happens. I’m confident in my ability and that I can do well, wherever it is. But I’m not thinking about whether I’m going to play at Chelsea right now. I’m only focused on the tournament.”
Injuries limited Loftus-Cheek to 24 appearances in the Premier League last season but he was considered an important first-team player when available for selection.
Of players that made at least 15 appearances in the Premier League last season, no one was fouled more often per 90 minutes than Loftus-Cheek (3).
