Milan Rule Out Early Exit of Underperforming Midfielder

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was an integral part of the Milan XI under Stefano Pioli, but that hasn’t been the case since the arrival of Paulo Fonseca. He has routinely started on the bench and hasn’t been good when called upon, Calciomercato points out.

The Englishman fared well as a physical no.10 in previous years. Instead, the new boss prefers a different type of player between the lines. He has deployed Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, and even Tijjani Reijnders over him at that position.

Loftus-Cheek has featured mostly as a holding midfielder so far, and he can’t be much of a factor offensively from that role. He has had 0.7 shots per game, slicing in half last season’s average. Instead, he has increased his pass accuracy from 97 to 86 percent.

Despite the slow start, the 28-year-old has the trust of the management and the coaching staff. There’s nothing in the works on the transfer market. No team has come forward to inquire about him yet. He also has a sizeable contract, as he makes €4M per year. He’s tied to the club until 2027. His future will be addressed only at the end of the season.

Our Take on Loftus-Cheek and Milan

Moving from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 would help him, Reijnders, and Yunus Musah, but Fonseca hasn’t really considered that and has prioritized finding ways to make the more aggressive formation work. He’s massive, so some lack of conditioning at the start of the season is natural. It’s not a problem yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on, as he’s a bit too expensive to be a deputy.