Friday 10 November 2017 20:35, UK
Ruben Loftus-Cheek admits he had a "vision" in the summer to leave Chelsea in order to speed up his career, a move which has seen him earn an England call-up.
The 21-year old midfielder joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan deal in July after graduating from the Chelsea academy where he made 22 Premier League appearances.
However, the midfielder says a move from the defending Premier League champions was necessary if he wanted to maximise his career.
"I had a vision and it became quite strong that I wanted to go from Chelsea," said Loftus-Cheek.
"I felt like I needed to play a lot, so I came in and said I wanted to go away from Chelsea and play games. So we came to an agreement.
"You can only improve so much in training. Games and training are completely different. So for me to get to that next level I needed to play regular football.
"I thought it was the best decision to go from Chelsea to play and develop myself which looks like being a good thing."
Loftus-Cheek is preparing for his senior England debut when he starts for the Three Lions against Germany on Friday, and manager Gareth Southgate hopes the 21-year old can prove his quality at the national stadium.
"He's always been the biggest kid in the playground, but he's not a player who's survived on physical strength," said Southgate.
"He has great technical quality, dribbling ability, power, I think he's a really exciting player."
Southgate knows the midfielder having played him during his time as England Under-21 manager, and is convinced the Lewisham-born man is capable of operating on the biggest stage.
"He's quite a quiet lad, so I'm hoping he gets a lift in confidence from how we see him, the level we think he's capable of."
