I feel really fit now and strong - Chelsea’s Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

admitted that he feels "really fit and strong" following his time at

on a loan spell and revealed that "this is the season I hit the ground running" at

.

The England international made his way through the senior squad seven years ago but has been trying to earn a regular place in the starting line-up since.

In 2019, he sustained a serious Achilles injury that stopped his progress and following a year of being sidelined, Chelsea decided to send him to Fulham on a loan spell last season.

Fulham ended the season sitting 18th on the Premier League table, going back to the Championship; however, the 25-year-old was able to impress with his outstanding performances.

"

I had last season as a season where I can find my feet and it definitely felt like that at the start,"

 Loftus-Cheek has told the Blues' official website.

"I was struggling mentally and needed to focus on just taking risks in training and get that feel back, but it eventually came and I was doing really well in games, so I’ve had my injury and I’ve had a season now to get fit and feel confident in my body and this season is where I hit the ground running."

Before the pre-season friendly clash against

on Sunday, he talked about his current condition:

"I feel really fit now and strong, and hopefully the injuries stay away.

"Last season was my first full injury-free season which is a massive positive for me, because I always used to get niggles.

"Even though I was fit I’d be out for a week or a couple of days, miss a couple of matches, but last season was good for my body to be fit every training session and available for every game."

Since 2014, Loftus-Cheek has only played in 81 matches for Chelsea, meeting the back of the net 12 times and contributing 11 assists; however, he has found his best form on his loan spells.

During the 2017-18 season, he had a productive time at

, and had featured in 32 games for Fulham last season.

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