Loftus-Cheek Set To Miss Europa League Final Due To Injury

By Joshua Walters

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to miss the Europa League final after injuring his ankle in the side’s friendly with MLS side New England Revolution on Thursday.

Loftus-Cheek went down clutching his left ankle in the first-half of Chelsea's 3-0 win over New England Revolution at the Gillette Stadium, after spending just 20 minutes. Fears are that he has suffered a ligament damage as he left the stadium wih his foot in a brace and walking with the aid of crutches.

Loftus-Cheek was due to be named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad on Thursday for next month’s Nations League tournament in Portugal, but the current development has put both club and country on the wait as the player is expected to go through further medical tests.

The 23-year-old has been an integral figure in Chelsea’s run to the Europa League final after recording four goals in 11 appearances this season.

Having returned on loan from Crystal Palace at the start of the season, Loftus-Cheek recorded six goals in 26 Premier League games with two assists, helping Chelsea to claim a top-four spot on the league log with 72 points. 

The injury comes as a considerable blow for the London-based club who play city rivals Arsenal in Baku on May 29 in the Europa League final. 

Before the charity friendly dubbed ‘Say No To Antisemitism’, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri expressed his concern, and stressed that the team needed to rest to regain its strength ahead of the game with Arsenal.

“We go there for a good reason I think, so as a man I am very happy to go there

“As a coach, of course, I am a little bit worried because I know very well that the team now needs rest. So it is not the best way to prepare for the final, I think.”