Loftus-Cheek admits he ‘stopped expecting to play for England again’ but has new target

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has admitted that he had given up on playing for England again, but is now dreaming of a World Cup trip next year.

Loftus-Cheek was recalled by England in the last international break and kept his spot for the current one. He got his first appearance since 2018 when he came on as a substitute in the second half of England’s 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley on Thursday night.

With the change in manager from Gareth Southgate to Thomas Tuchel, there have been some shake-ups in selection. This seems to have benefitted the 29-year-old, who is in the side on form after a positive start to the new campaign under Massimiliano Allegri at Milan.

‘I stopped expecting to play for England again’

Loftus-Cheek spoke during an interview with The Independent about being back in the England fold again under Tuchel, someone he knows well from the German coach’s time at Chelsea.

“It’s been a long time. Of course, a lot has happened in that time, starting with the injury. So I kind of stopped expecting to play for England again after so long away, but I’m really happy to be back involved in the set-up and getting some minutes on the pitch today, which was good,” he said.

“It’s a strange feeling after so long, but happy. I think it’s good to have a goal. Whether you focus on that right now, I’m not sure. I think you have to focus on what you’re doing at your club.

“It is still a long way and I think for me, first and foremost, (my focus) is to stay fit, stay healthy and keep playing well for my club. If I do that, I think I’ve got a good chance and who knows what can happen. I mean, you always want a dream, so it’s in my head, but it’s not at the front right now.”

On Tuchel, he added: “We shared some good times together at Chelsea, winning trophies. It’s good to be back in England with the manager. I know what he likes and wants and demands. So there’s nothing new for me in that sense.

“It’s good to be back and playing under him again. You always see he’s a very, very intelligent manager and he studies the opponents very well and gives us an insight of what we’re going to face and how to play against the team.

“He gives you a complete picture of what is to come and that’s what you want from a coach. He is a fantastic coach and you can see the hard work we’re putting in over these last couple of games – we’ve been playing really well so we hope to kick on and keep that going.”