Cover star Loftus-Cheek explains the challenge he was set by Maurizio Sarri in the summer to prove he deserved to be part of the Chelsea midfield, and how he worked hard on the training pitch to convince our head coach and earn his chances to impress this season.

‘He told me I needed to improve on my positioning and develop my defensive awareness if I wanted to play in midfield for him,’ he told Chelsea.

‘But I worked hard on the things he had talked to me about and I think I’ve improved a lot on that aspect of my game, and he seemed to see the improvement and I think he sees me as a midfielder now too.

‘I completely respect the honesty of that and it gave me something to work towards. I’ve improved off the back of it and now I’m playing in midfield, so he’s an honest guy.’

Having progressed all the way through our Academy system since an early age, Sarri is just the latest member of Chelsea coaching staff who had helped Loftus-Cheek’s development into one of the Premier League’s most promising complete midfielders, and the England international also revealed how he was encouraged to add new elements to his game throughout his teenage years with the Blues.

‘I never used to use my body as much as I do now. Eddie Newton was always saying “why don’t you use your strength and your power, just put your body there and blow past him” because I naturally just always went to dribble and beat people with quick feet.

‘It took me quite a while to change how I play and use my strength and my body to my advantage, but I’m kind of mixing the two now, which at times can be deadly. That’s where working with a coach can really help, because when you’re good enough in an aspect you don’t think to change it. But these coaches, especially Eddie, see things differently and that’s where you can really improve.’