Ruben Loftus-Cheek can become a Chelsea "great", according to manager Maurizio Sarri.

Loftus-Cheek has shown steady improvement under the Italian coach this season to force his way into Sarri's first-team plans with a string of assured and impressive performances.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has scored six goals in all competitions from his usual position on the left of midfield, but showed his versatility on Wednesday night after being played as a right winger for Chelsea's 1-0 EFL Cup win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Sarri thinks Loftus-Cheek can improve further, though, particularly with his movement off the ball, but believes the Chelsea academy graduate is destined to become a star at the club.

"He is a very, very good player. Potentially, he's a great player," Sarri told reporters at Cobham on Friday.

"And he played seven matches out of seven in the last month. I think four in the starting XI and three off the bench. So I'm really very happy with him.

"He's improving from the tactical point of view, improving a lot. In the last match he played as a winger. I think, in the future, he will be a midfielder but, sometimes, we need him as a winger. Especially in the last part of the match.

"For example, in Brighton, in the last 20 minutes the match was different so we needed more physical impact. So I think that, at the moment, he's a very important player for us. In the future, he will be a determinant player for us. More than important.”

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When asked if Loftus-Cheek can become a Chelsea star, Sarri replied: "The potential of the player is for that. Now it's up to him, I think.

"He's improving tactically but he needs to improve more. He is very good with the ball, but he has to improve in movements without the ball, also in the offensive phase.

"The match is 90 minutes and, if you are lucky, you have the ball for two minutes. So you have to play 88 minutes without the ball in the defensive or offensive phase. It's very important."