Former Chelsea winger Clive Walker says Ruben Loftus-Cheek reminds him of Michael Ballack.
Walker, who made nearly 200 appearances for the Blues, also admits he was not initially convinced Loftus-Cheek would be the next player to make the step up from the club’s academy.
But the youngster’s goalscoring appearance against Scunthorpe in the FA Cup at the weekend and his assured displays when called upon last season have established him as a key member of the first-team squad.
And Walker believes there are comparisons to be drawn with former Germany midfielder Ballack, who enjoyed a glittering career with Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
“I’ve seen a lot of Ruben, following the Under-18s and Under-21s for the last few years, and although he still has a way to go, I’ve seen him mature,” Walker told West London Sport.
“He reminds me of Michael Ballack – the way he eats up the ground with long strides and he has that upright style of play I like. He could become a really big player for Chelsea.
“Obviously he’s a long way from being the sort of player Ballack was for us and I don’t think he’ll necessarily be the type of player who can run a game, but I’ve been very impressed.
“To be honest, I’m surprised he’s the one who had made it into the first team. I thought there were others ahead of him in the queue like Charly Musonda and Tammy Abraham.
“Young players can surprise you when given a chance but he wasn’t one of those I expected to do it so soon.
“But fair play to him, he’s taken his chance. When he trained with the first team, he didn’t look out of place and the players felt he was part of the team.”
Walker feels the key to the future development of the 19-year-old – who turns 20 next week – lies in his attitude as much as his ability.
“Right up until the end of my career, I always played with the attitude that I have something to prove and I think as soon as you take your foot off the peddle, you can lose your way,” he said.
“I think he went backwards a bit because he thought he had arrived when he was first training with the first team.
“He was taken down a peg or two under Jose Mourinho but is coming back stronger.”
This post was last modified on 14/01/2016