Ruben Loftus-Cheek last played for the national team four years ago but is staking a late claim to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad.
The Chelsea midfielder was part of the group that memorably reached the semi-finals in Russia, winning four of his 10 caps during the tournament.
That came on the back of a productive loan spell at Crystal Palace, where he made 25 appearances as the Eagles recovered from a poor start to finish in mid-table.
Loftus-Cheek has struggled with a series of injury problems since then, which have limited his opportunities for regular game time back at Stamford Bridge.
Two years ago, he was sent on loan to Fulham and endured a miserable relegation from the Premier League under Scott Parker.
Fit and in form, the 26-year-old is now being linked with a timely return to international duty at next month's World Cup.
He has started 10 games for Chelsea this season and their new manager, Graham Potter, has been full of praise for his performances.
“He’s really impressed me, on and off the pitch. He’s a very humble guy, he wants to learn, he wants to improve,” says Potter, formerly of Brighton and Hove Albion.
“He’s clearly benefited from game time but, at the same time, the way he’s trained has been really, really good. He’s played and it’s allowed him to build his fitness up. He needs a good fitness level to carry that big body of his around the pitch.
“His quality’s there. He’s fantastic on the ball, great physicality, great athlete. I think he’s putting himself into a situation where he’ll be one of the players Gareth will be looking at as an outsider into the squad. But that’s Gareth’s decision.”
Southgate is known to be a big fan of Loftus-Cheek, who combines physical stature, technical ability and tactical awareness.
These qualities have enabled him to play a few different roles at club level already this season, regardless of whether Chelsea have fielded a back three or a back four.
This versatility would undoubtedly appeal to the England manager as he plans who to take with him to Qatar.
