Ruben Loftus-Cheek is hoping his versatility will enhance his chances of making it into England’s World Cup squad.
Loftus-Cheek was yesterday handed a surprise call up by Thomas Tuchel, almost seven years since his last Three Lions appearance in 2018.
The 29-year-old was a regular under Tuchel at Chelsea before the German was sacked and Loftus-Cheek departed for AC Milan, with whom he has endured a frustrating time with injuries.
He has played in the Rossoneri’s first two Serie A games of the season, though, and scored in Friday’s 2-0 win at Lecce.
That goal came due to his involvement as an attacking midfielder under Max Allegri while he featured at right wing-back while playing for Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.
“I am able to play different positions. Since I was at AC Milan I have played a lot higher and close to the striker to get goals and help the team in the final third,” said Loftus-Cheek.
“Under Tuchel I played a lot deeper. I am able to do that and with things that can happen in a tournament, being versatile is a good thing. When it comes to that I am happy to play anywhere for the team and do my best in any position.”
Loftus-Cheek confident Tuchel was monitoring his progress
Loftus-Cheek flourished under Tuchel at Chelsea and admitted he knew he would be on the radar if he performed well at San Siro.
He added: ”When Tuchel came to Chelsea, I was still on my loan at Fulham and this was the year after my injury. I had a year to feel myself again.
“I didn’t know too much about him [Tuchel] as a manager when I came back. I did pre-season with Chelsea and that’s when we spoke about playing wing-back. I also played centre-back for one game and right-wing back so a number of positions for him.
“After working with him, I know that he knows me as a player so I thought that if I was doing well, I would have a chance. I knew the manager would be keeping tabs on the players playing abroad so I thought I might get a shout.”
England take on Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday before a trip to Serbia three days later.
