Ruben Loftus-Cheek reveals he wishes he left Chelsea 12 YEARS AGO – as AC Milan star tells Blues youngsters to consider ‘playing somewhere else’

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has revealed that if he could turn back time, he would have left Chelsea while he was still in the youth system.

The 28-year-old, who now plays for AC Milan in Serie A, struggled with the blues of his youth for 19 years.

Loftus-Cheek arrived at Cobham as an eight-year-old and went on to make 155 first-team appearances, rising through the ranks to score 13 goals and provide 17 assists in all competitions.

However, injuries and competition for starting places meant that the Englishman never managed to establish himself as a regular and was loaned out to London rivals Crystal Palace and Fulham.

Although Loftus-Cheek was once keen to become a legend in blue, he found it difficult to break into an all-star cast.

The midfielder made 40 appearances for AC Milan in his first season at the club, a personal record.

Loftus-Cheek never developed into a regular at Chelsea and was loaned out to Crystal Palace (left) and Fulham (right)

‘Breaking through at Chelsea, that was the case,’ he told The Times. ‘It was very difficult to play a lot of football. Even if you are very talented, Chelsea can bring in another player who is in his prime and ready to earn millions.

‘It’s hard when a young player is breaking through. But I think if the club has a way of appreciating and pushing homegrown players, it can be easy.’

Loftus-Cheek made his Premier League debut in 2015 at the age of 19, coming on as a substitute against Jose Mourinho in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

He spent eight years with the first team, making 33 appearances in all competitions during the 2022–23 season, which turned out to be his final season at the club.

On June 30 last year, Loftus-Cheek finally made the decision to leave his boyhood club in search of more first-team playing time and made the permanent move to Milan.

Last season he played 40 games for La Rossoneri, the most games he has played in a single season in his career.

The midfielder now lives in Italy and wishes he had left Chelsea much earlier than he did.

“I think it’s fantastic when you’re a young player, seven or eight years old, and you sign for Chelsea,” Loftus-Cheek continued.

The now 28-year-old made his breakthrough at Chelsea as a 19-year-old under Jose Mourinho in 2015

But a series of injuries over the years hampered his progress at his boyhood club

‘Because it’s a great academy. And you learn to play football. And you develop your skills. A great coach coaches you. But it comes to a point, maybe when you’re 15, 16, that you get to the point where it’s youth football.

‘And you might consider going somewhere else to play because it’s very difficult to just get through it now. And the best way to develop is to play matches and play men’s football.

‘And that’s easier to do somewhere else, at a lower club. And I feel like I missed out on that, I think.’