Loftus-Cheek on Milan backing Fonseca, Ibrahimovic advice and England | OneFootball

Ruben Loftus-Cheek assures Milan ‘believe fully’ in coach Paulo Fonseca, reveals Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s advice, not waiting around for England and why he wishes he’d left Chelsea earlier in his career.

The midfielder spoke to Times Sport now that he has fully settled into life in Italy, having impressed in his first season with 10 goals and two assists in 40 competitive games.

He arrived just after Ibrahimovic retired, only for the Swede to return a few months ago as a special advisor to the club.

“He makes sure he gets that point across to us that we’re a big, prestigious club and the club wants to win, and he believes in us. So I think we need to give that energy back. We’re working hard to do so,” explained Loftus-Cheek.

“He watches training, but also we have meetings with him. He wants to help the players as much as possible. If we have questions for him, he’s always there. So he’s very hands-on with the role, which is good to see because you see the care that he has for us and the club and how much he wants us to achieve and do well.

“He thinks I can score even more goals. So I need to focus on that. Mainly he wants me to be in and around the box scoring more goals.”

Ibrahimovic’s advice is needed now more than ever, as the Rossoneri have stuttered under new coach Fonseca with just two points from three Serie A games.

“We all believe fully in the manager. In training we’re working every day. But I think in the moment when things are not going so well, you have to take a step back. Because sometimes it can feel like it’s all coming down,” insists Loftus-Cheek.

“Fans want to win, also we want to win. But we have to take a look at the big picture. We have a new manager, we need time to learn his ways and get things right. And I think when we do that, we’ll be winning. I think we just need to work as much as we can on the pitch and keep believing. And things will come together.”

Milan revitalised Loftus-Cheek’s career

Loftus-Cheek has truly flourished since the 2023 transfer to Milan, so it is perhaps unsurprising that he admits it was a move he should’ve made earlier.

Outlining the problems of making it through the academy to the senior team, he advises players at 15,16 to consider playing somewhere else, admitting he would’ve left Chelsea at 16 if he’d had the opportunity to do it all over again.

That also stalled his potential for getting into the England team, as despite 10 caps in the past, Loftus-Cheek and Milan teammate Fikayo Tomori have been largely ignored by Gareth Southgate and interim manager Lee Carsley.

“If he wants to phone me, he’s welcome to. But I’ve got much more important things to focus on at the club at the minute. I haven’t been in the set-up for a while, but if I’m able to play well enough to get a chance to play for England, then that’s great,” replied Loftus-Cheek.

It is often said that the Premier League is played at a higher tempo than Serie A, but it has its own unique difficulties that can prove useful in the development of a player.

“Teams are very clued up defensively and tactically. Sometimes you can get quite slow and you have to build up patiently, whereas in the Premier League it’s very fast and furious. You may get more counterattacks and more open spaces in the Premier League. They are very different styles of play.”