'i Was Just A Fan' - Loftus-cheek 'completely Forgot' About Playing For England

Ruben Loftus-Cheek says he "completely forgot" astir playing for England and was "just a fan" during his adjacent seven-year absence from nan nationalist team.

Loftus-Cheek's past quality for nan Three Lions came successful a friends against nan United States successful November 2018 aft he had been portion of Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad that reached nan semi-finals successful Russia nan aforesaid year.

The 29-year-old midfielder ruptured his Achilles successful 2019 playing for Chelsea successful a friends successful nan USA earlier nan Europa League final, and subsequently dropped retired of nan England reckoning.

He joined AC Milan successful 2023 and has made 71 appearances for nan Rossoneri successful each competitions, scoring 11 goals and registering 3 assists.

"When I ruptured my Achilles, I was connected specified a precocious [before it happened], truthful aft that I had a difficult clip mentally," said Loftus-Cheek.

"But I was still young, I still had clip to travel back, truthful I wasn't excessively low."

He added he had "got used" to not joining up pinch England because he had been distant for truthful long.

"You still want to push successful nine shot pinch nan dream of possibly getting a sniff," he said.

"But I conscionable wholly forgot astir it and was being a instrumentality of nan squad instead."

Loftus-Cheek said it took astir 2 years for him to consciousness himself again aft nan injury.

"If you person sewage bully group astir you it is going to thief you truthful much, but nan main point comes from your aforesaid drive," he said of his recovery.

"That belief, to flooded challenges, is paramount successful athletics and successful life - that you person this mentality successful overcoming challenges."

England leader Thomas Tuchel knows Loftus-Cheek good from his clip arsenic head of Chelsea, wherever nan German utilized him successful immoderate unconventional positions.

"When he [Tuchel] came into Chelsea and he said to maine astir playing wing-back, I said nary measurement - but I ending up playing location anyways," said Loftus-Cheek.

"I played galore positions nether Tuchel and he values my physicality truthful I americium utilized to moving nether him.

"He is very intelligent and knows nan crippled truthful well. Hopefully we tin do good to link pinch him."

As good arsenic playing Loftus-Cheek astatine correct wing-back, Tuchel besides deployed him astatine centre-back and successful midfield.

Loftus-Cheek thought he would beryllium successful pinch a "shout" of getting called up to nan England squad arsenic he knew nan head would beryllium "keeping tabs connected him".

However, he was philosophical erstwhile asked if his versatility would springiness him a changeable astatine making nan World Cup squad adjacent year.

"Who knows. I americium capable to play different positions. Since I was astatine AC Milan I person played a batch higher and adjacent to nan striker to get goals and thief nan squad successful nan last third," he said.

"Under Tuchel I played a batch deeper. I americium capable to do that and pinch things that tin hap successful a tournament, being versatile is simply a bully thing. When it comes to that I americium happy to play anyplace for nan squad and do my champion successful immoderate position."

England play 2 World Cup qualifying games successful this world break pinch nan first against Andorra astatine Villa Park connected Saturday earlier travelling to play Serbia adjacent week.