Loftus-Cheek thrilled to make a return for Chelsea against Vidi FC

A fruitful loan-spell at Crystal Palace last season earned the midfielder a place in the England squad for the World Cup this past summer, as well as a fresh start at Chelsea under new head coach Maurizio Sarri. 

Two positive subsitute appearances in the Premier League had put Loftus-Cheek in line for a start, only for minor back and foot injuries to delay his progress. However this week, Loftus-Cheek started and performed well for the opening 66 minutes of Chelsea's 1-0 win over Vidi FC at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to Chelsea's official channel, 'Chelsea TV' Loftus-Cheek was happy to have the chance to discuss his progress at the start of this campaign, saying:"It's good to be back out there. I had a niggle on my back which I had to take carefully, because I've had a lot of injuries there. I just had to stay patient with that really. It felt good."

Loftus-Cheek was also keen to praise his new manager Maurizio Sarri, in particular the brand of football the Italian likes his teams to play, something which the midfielder is really enjoying ; "It's a positive, always on the front foot, wanting to press and attacking football, creative football. I still feel we've got a lot of potential and we're still winning games. It's very exciting to see what this team can do this season."

Striker Alvaro Morata proved to be the difference between the sides, with his being the sole goal in the 1-0 Chelsea victory. Assitant manager Gianfranco Zola was full of praise for the Spaniard, who before scoring had endured a slightly barren spell in front of goal; "We are very delighted about that. It was important Alvaro was more involved in the action. He was the main reference going forwards and he allowed the team to build up good actions. Of course the goal for a striker is important. He's in a context where his work is not only scoring, but he's also supporting the players."