Ruben Loftus-Cheek ends holiday early to return to Chelsea training

Ruben Loftus-Cheek ends holiday early to return to Chelsea training

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has begun pre-season training with Chelsea after ending his holiday one week early.

Following England's World Cup campaign, the 22-year-old was not due to report back to training until August 6.

Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Michy Batshuayi still have one week remaining after Belgium beat England in the World Cup third-place playoff on July 14, while club captain Gary Cahill is also away for another seven days.

But Loftus-Cheek has made the decision to cut short his break and reported back to Chelsea's training base in Cobham on Monday morning.

Loftus-Cheek impressed during his season-long loan stint at Crystal Palace last term but now faces increased competition for a place in Maurizio Sarri's midfield following the arrival of Jorginho from Napoli this summer.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek ends holiday early to return to Chelsea training

The 22-year-old could also find himself behind Ross Barkley in the pecking order following his impressive performances in pre-season.

Chelsea will continue their pre-season campaign against Arsenal on Wednesday before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

Sarri's side will finish their summer preparations with a game against Lyon at Stamford Bridge on August 7 before their first Premier League fixture of the new campaign against Huddersfield Town on August 11.

Speaking about his future at Chelsea earlier this month, Loftus-Cheek insisted that his main focus was securing regular playing time.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek ends holiday early to return to Chelsea training

'That's the key for me right now at this stage of my career,' the midfielder told ITV Sport.

'I've had a taste of what Premier League football is like and I don't want to miss out on that next season.

'So I'll have a little break, not too much or I'll miss the start of the season, clear my mind and we go from there.'

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