Ruben Loftus-Cheek, AC Milan's midfielder, was interviewed by 'Cronache di spogliatoio' (Locker Room Chronicles) and made the following statements:
On his role:
"I have played in many positions throughout my career. In my current role, I feel good. Pioli continually gives me feedback, even through videos. His English... is improving day by day! I work with the coach and his staff on analyzing my game; I think this tool is important in today's football: watching the matches, seeing where and how to improve."
On his relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Loftus-Cheek said:
"He's been a great help since he arrived in this role. He's always outside the locker room, waiting for us to pass by, to encourage us. He talks to everyone on the field; he's a fantastic person and leader. He urges you to give your best. He tells me to get into the area: 'Try, try!' And to be decisive."
On teammate Tijjani Reijnders:
"With Reijnders, we are friends. We arrived together at Milan, and we both spoke English, so he helped us get to know each other better. He recently became a father, and indeed I call him 'Dad.' I haven't seen his son yet, but I can't wait. He's an exceptional person."
On the season at Chelsea with head coach Maurizio Sarri and Gianfranco Zola:
"Zola was fantastic on Sarri's staff in London. He played referee in training, and he was really bad at it! We all made fun of him, we always went against him, it was funny. With Sarri, I played on the left, one thing I noticed about Italian coaches (Pioli, Sarri, and Conte) is that they never see you as a finished product, but they always want to help you improve, they work on you. When I missed the Europa League final, it was frustrating. I ruptured my Achilles tendon on tour, in the United States, before the final, I couldn't believe it. I got along very well with Sarri."
On Antonio Conte:
"Conte is a fantastic person, very intense. I remember I didn't know much about him before he arrived at Chelsea; when we first met him, he was very calm. Then as soon as he got on the bench... he was completely different! So passionate, so unleashed. There's a big difference between Conte on the field and off it."
On the English national team, here's what Loftus-Cheek said:
"Going to the Euros? I hope so, but at the moment it seems difficult that I will be called up. I would like to play for England again, but the goal is to do well at Milan. Also because England is only a consequence of the performance at Milan."
On when his house was struck by lightning:
"I remember that day. I was at the park with my brothers, and lightning started raining down, hitting the trees too. At one point we saw a column of smoke and ran home. And there it was, my house half destroyed, pieces were everywhere. We had to rebuild a good part of the house."
