Ruben Loftus-Cheek was subject to criticism from Jose Mourinho after the friendly against Sydney in Australia. Mourinho was disappointed with the young man’s work rate when Sydney had the ball. After that match, Mourinho said:
“So, with Ruben, it’s one step back in terms of my relationship with him. If he doesn’t know what it is to play for me and Chelsea, it’s one step back.
“He has to learn that at 19 you have to run three times more than the others, you have to play to your limits and not play like a superstar with the ball at your feet because this is not Under-18s.”
But England U21’s boss Gareth Southgate had some words of support for Loftus-Cheek stating that the manager wouldn’t have criticised him publicly if he didn’t care about him. According to the Independent, Southgate said:
“We [Southgate and Loftus-Cheek] have had a chat about it and he knows he wasn’t at the level that’s needed. He knows what he has to do. He’s a very determined kid, but he’s young so we keep challenging him. In a sense it was good what Mourinho said, as if he didn’t care about him he wouldn’t make those kind of comments.”
Southgate went on to state that the player has taken Mourinho’s words on board and is willing to improve. Young players that are talented should not be mollycoddled, according to the former England international.
“You tend to be tougher on young players. There’s a phrase ‘be tough on talent’ and he is a talented player.”
