“His physicality”- Chelsea newboy names surprise Blues’ midfielder he is keen to learn from

Cesare Casadei names Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the surprise midfielder he wished to learn from

Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei has named Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the surprise midfielder he wishes to learn from. The 19-year-old joined the Blues this summer from Inter Milan for £17 million.

The midfielder was one of the youngsters to join the club along with the likes of Gabriel Slonina, Omari Hutchinson and Carney Chukwuemeka. All of these youngsters are considered the future of the club.

Casadei was very impressive during his youth days at Inter. The 19-year-old never played for the first team but the Blues still paid a good amount of money to bring him to the club, highlighting his potential.

He has been playing for the youth setup currently where the midfielder has made seven appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals in the process.

Now, the 19-year-old has opened up about his move and while speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football. London), the Italian mentioned Loftus-Cheek as the surprise midfielder he looks up to.

“Like training: you work much less dry and almost everything with the ball, starting with the warm-up. I look at those in my position, and here there are many from whom I can learn, now I say Loftus-Cheek, for his physicality in which, in a certain sense, I see myself, obviously knowing that there’s a lot to work on.”

Loftus-Cheek came through the academy ranks at Cobham. While the midfielder has been a fringe player for the club, this season he seems to be part of Graham Potter’s plan.

The 26-year-old has played in 20 games so far in all competitions. He has also been deployed in multiple positions with the Englishman playing as a central midfielder and right wing-back at times.

Loftus-Cheek also has an excellent injury record at the club. The 26-year-old has never been out for more than five matches throughout his time at the west London club, except once. The midfielder was sidelined for nine months during the 2018/19 season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

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• Eden Hazard dismisses the possibility of returning to Chelsea in the summer
• Real Madrid planning a January move for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta

It is good for Casadei to look up to first-team players and learn from them. With the second half of the season congested with fixtures, it won’t be surprising to see the 19-year-old get a call-up to the senior team. Maybe we will get to see Loftus-Cheek and him on the pitch together.