Ruben Loftus-Cheek desperate to return to action as he joins Crystal Palace training after ankle injury

Comeback trail | Loftus-Cheek hasn't featured for Palace in 2018
EPA
James Benge12 March 2018

Ruben Loftus-Cheek says he is desperate to get back on the pitch and aid Crystal Palace’s battle to beat the drop.

The Chelsea loanee trained for the first time at Beckenham on Monday since injuring his ankle in a defeat to Arsenal just after Christmas.

It had initially been feared that Loftus-Cheek’s injury could rule him out not only for the majority of Palace’s run-in but also this summer’s World Cup, a cruel blow for a player who had impressed for England.

Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield may see him return and the 22-year-old but Loftus-Cheek knows it could have been a lot worse.

“It was really good and happy to get back in the swing of things, get training and now I want to get back playing as soon as possible,” Loftus-Cheek said.

“My right ankle took a little bit of a fracture and it has taken a while but thankfully I am back now and that is the good thing.

“In the first place it was scary because we didn’t know how long it would take and what was the best road to go down but I went back to Chelsea for physio and rehab and worked really hard to get back.”

In Pictures | Chelsea vs Crystal Palace | 10/03/2018

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Loftus-Cheek had been training with the Chelsea youth squad before returning to Palace, who find themselves a point off safety after a run of four straight defeats in the Premier League.

He watched his parent club overcome Palace 2-1 in the Stamford Bridge on Saturday but Loftus-Cheek’s return to training, along with those of Mamadou Sakho and Yohan Cabaye, could help end the Eagles’ losing run.

“I was completely neutral in that [Chelsea] game, it’s very hard to see Palace lose but Chelsea were good on the day,” Loftus-Cheek added.

“With the amount of injuries the team has had we need as many back as possible. It’s good to have Mama [Sakho], who’s a big character in the team, and Wilf as well. Hopefully we can all be ready to play against Huddersfield.

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