Eden Hazard believes Chelsea teammate can become the best in England
What's the story?
Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard has tipped his teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek to become one of the best midfielders in England. The Belgium captain also hinted that quick passing coupled with intelligent movement off the ball is the prime speciality of this Blues squad.
In case you didn't know...
Loftus-Cheek rose through the ranks of the youth setup and with a couple of remarkably successful years with the youth and development squad, he broke into the first team. The England international has scored five in his last six appearances for Sarri's men, but has been restricted to just four league appearances - with all of them coming off the bench.
The heart of the matter
In both of his previous two league matches, he has found the back of the net. The wily midfielder also has a Champions League hat-trick to his name now.
Although chances in a packed midfield that includes Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic have been hard to come by, he has been backed by his teammate Hazard.
The Chelsea winger heaped praise on Loftus-Cheek and said:
"He's a fantastic player. We all know. I've trained with him for five years. I saw him when he was young, now he is not so young but he can still improve. But in the future I think he will be one of the best midfielders in the country."
Speaking on the quality in this Chelsea squad, he continued:
"[They're] good players. When we play together you know we can be good," Hazard added. "I remember one goal [like this] against Southampton when (Alvaro) Morata scored. This goal yesterday was good but we have the kind of players that when [we are] in short spaces we can do one-touch and give and goes. So we try to do this."
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At 22, it seems like there's nothing Loftus-Cheek cannot do. From aerial ability to attacking prowess, he's got it all within his game.
What's next?
Both Hazard and Loftus-Cheek are expected to play a part when Chelsea travel to the Molineux to battle it out with Wolves. The Blues then host champions-elect Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.