Ruben Loftus-Cheek left Stamford Bridge with another look of anguish on his face last night but at least a long-standing back problem was not the cause this time.

The talented midfielder was still ruing a glorious opportunity he put over the crossbar during Chelsea’s comfortable Europa League win over Dynamo Kiev.

It is understandable why Loftus-Cheek experienced some sort of pain because he has not scored in three months.

But the disappointment of failing to round off a neat move in front of the Matthew Harding End is nothing compared to the discomfort he has felt in his back for the past five years.

Many outside the club assume that the unwillingness of Chelsea coaches to select him on a regular basis has been the biggest obstacle in the 22-year-old’s career and that has certainly been a factor. However, Loftus-Cheek’s fitness issues has been another and particularly the one in his spine.

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Anyone who saw the England international walk off in tears following a recurrence of the injury against Nottingham Forest in January was left in no doubt about the level of frustration and distress he has felt about it.

Just two months later, however, Loftus-Cheek is feeling more hopeful than ever that his back problem is finally a thing of the past.

He said: “I’ve said it’s behind me before because it has felt really good, only for it to come back. But I feel like now I am working with the physios, I think we have nailed it.

“Fingers crossed because I have had it since I was 17. It’s a muscular problem. I have a big curve in my lower back and I’m a big, powerful guy, so I’ve got to keep it strong, keep it loose.

“It’s been a tough couple of years with it, coming at the wrong time. Hopefully we have a routine to manage it now.”

That routine includes introducing a new discipline into his regime, one separated from the rigours of the training ground.

“I’ve been doing yoga,” he said. “I’m not very good at it but I have to start somewhere. The physios know the best things. We have been working over the past year since I have been in the first team.

“As I’d get a niggle, you’d rule out a problem. It was just about ruling out all the problems to figure it out.”

It is no wonder Loftus-Cheek was so upset as he left the pitch against Forest, which led to a three week lay-off. He had finally been given a consistent run of matches under coach Maurizio Sarri, yet he knew deep down it was not going to last because of something he could not control.

He said: “I was doing well at that point, playing every game, even if it was 90 minutes in a Europa League and then 30 in the Premier League. I was doing that for a few weeks and I wanted to carry on that momentum.

“When the back problem came again, I tried to push through it and manage it, to keep going. But it was one of those ones where if I’d carried on, I would have done more damage. I was distraught going down the tunnel [against Forest]. I knew I just had to wait to get it right.

“As a footballer you want to be free in your mind, you want to feel physically good before you go on the pitch so you can focus on what you want to do.”

Loftus-Cheek made his fifth appearance in a row from the bench against Dynamo Kiev and looked sharp when he came on.

Chelsea were 2-0 ahead through Pedro and Willian when he set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for a crucial third, which surely puts the last-16 tie beyond the Ukrainian club’s reach in the