Chelsea manager rules out January exit for Loftus-Cheek

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri insists Ruben Loftus-Cheek will not be allowed to leave on loan in January.

Loftus-Cheek spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace and was previously adamant he would not return to Chelsea to sit on the bench.

The England international has spent this season doing largely that but the 22-year-old has been given game time in cup competitions by Sarri.

Loftus-Cheek the wish list of many midtable Premier League sides in January but the Chelsea boss insists he will be going nowhere.

“In October he played four matches out of five so at the moment the situation is not for a loan of course,” The Independent quote Sarri as saying.

“He improved but he needs to improve more from the tactical point of view. On the rest he is good because physically he has great characteristics. He is fast, solid, he has impact.

“Technically he is very good and I think that if he wants to play like a midfielder he has to improve in the defensive phase at the moment but the potential is great.”

Loftus-Cheek has scored four goals in his last three appearances for Chelsea, including his first senior hat-trick in a 3-1 win over BATE Borisov in the Europa League.

However, the Chelsea academy graduate has only made three substitute appearances in the Premier League thus far.