Ruben Loftus-Cheek said he was “delighted” to bag a hat-trick for Chelsea in their Europa League victory over BATE Borisov at Stamford Bridge.
It was an emphatic way for the England midfielder to make his point to boss Maurizio Sarri, having been overlooked by the Italian this season.
Sarri said after the 3-1 win that it was still “very difficult” to find place in the side for Loftus-Cheek, who has been told he needs to improve the defensive side of his game.
And Loftus-Cheek revealed that Sarri told him “to do what I do but be still strong defensively” before Thursday’s game.
Loftus-Cheek added: “He was talking to me throughout the game about my positioning, trying to help me in that sense.
“My target at the moment is to get my positioning right and for the rest to just come after that.”
This post was last modified on 26/10/2018