Thursday 9 July 2015 11:50, UK
Ruben Loftus-Cheek must prove to boss Jose Mourinho he is among the top 10 midfielders in the country if he wants to play for Chelsea next season.
That’s the view of former Blues striker Tony Cascarino, who insisted Mourinho will give his talented young players a chance – but only if they are able to improve the Premier League champions.
Loftus-Cheek, 19, made three Premier League appearances at the end of the 2014/15 campaign but 34-year-old John Terry remains the last Chelsea academy player to establish himself in the senior squad at the club.
Despite the Blues winning the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League last season, opportunities remain limited for the next generation at Stamford Bridge.
Cascarino says that is down to the high standards at Chelsea but Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – who claimed the No 1 jersey as a 22-year-old at the start of last season – proved Mourinho will support young talent.
You have to be a certain level to play for Chelsea – whether you’re 18, 21 or 35.
“Chelsea’s young players will only play if Mourinho thinks they’re good enough,” Cascarino told Sky Sports.
“He thought Courtois was good enough at 22. He brought him back from [his loan at] Atletico Madrid, dropped one of the top five 'keepers in Europe in Petr Cech and said to a 22-year-old, 'you’re in'.
“But that’s the level where Chelsea are. Loftus-Cheek, if he’s going to come in, he’s going to have to be one of the top 10 midfielders in England. And if he isn’t that, he won’t get in.
“It’s a big ask because it’s a massive gulf from youth team football to the first team, where the level is so high.
“But you have to be a certain level to play for Chelsea – whether you’re 18, 21 or 35.
“Chelsea’s young players are going to have to earn their stripes to get to the bench and then from the bench to the first team.”
Cascarino cited highly-rated Josh McEachran – who is set to complete a move from Chelsea to Brentford – as an example of a top youth player unable to make the step up, but insisted failing to make the grade at Chelsea does not mean he can’t go on to have a profitable career in the top flight.
“Josh MacEachran wasn’t good enough. The same goes for Romelu Lukaku, who arrived at Chelsea as an 18-year-old," said Cascarino.
"That doesn’t mean they aren’t good players but the level where they had to be to play week-in, week-out for Chelsea, they weren’t quite there. This is elite football.”
