Father: Mourinho delayed Loftus-Cheek progress

The father of Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has criticised the way Jose Mourinho handled his son during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Loftus-Cheek has already made as many Premier League starts during his loan spell at Crystal Palace as he has done throughout his Chelsea career, with his form at Selhurst Park being recognised with a call-up to the England squad.

The 21-year-old went on to be named man of the match on his debut against Germany before limping off early against Brazil, and his father Trevor believes that he is benefitting from his regular playing time.

“Jose Mourinho held him back. He should have been playing. Everyone behind the scenes was asking: ‘why isn’t he playing?” he told the Mail.

“If Ruben was playing for Mauricio Pochettino, he’d have 70, 80, 90 first-team appearances by now.”

Loftus-Cheek has registered one assist in his seven Premier League appearances for Palace so far this season.