Ruben Loftus-Cheek's Chelsea career has taken a turn for the worse after returning from England duty with an ankle injury that will leave him sidelined for roughly two weeks, claims The Sun.
The handling of Loftus-Cheek has been subject of intense debate since the end of last season but the 22-year-old is desperate to forge out a successful career at boyhood club Chelsea.
Loftus-Cheek got regular playing time at Crystal Palace last season and even earned a place in England's 2018 World Cup squad as a result.
However, the powerful midfielder has barely featured for Chelsea this season and has been told he has to get up to speed with Maurizio Sarri's demands before being trusted to play.
Loftus-Cheek was hopeful of taking advantage of Chelsea's Europa League campaign to get some time on the pitch but is now expected to miss their first two group matches.
The Chelsea midfielder required a scan after England's 1-0 friendly win over Switzerland and it has now been revealed a foot problem will keep him out for a fortnight.
Chelsea signed Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic over the summer, leaving Loftus-Cheek to battle for places in midfield with fringe players like Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater and Cesc Fabregas.
Loftus-Cheek has only made two substitute appearances for Chelsea this season and the chances of him cracking into the team appear slimmer with each passing week.
The England international earlier this week refused to rule out another loan move to Palace in January and that looks like an increasingly likely option for the youngster.
Palace had a better win ratio in the Premier League when Loftus-Cheek featured last season (33.3%) compared to when he didn't (21.4%).
