Antonio Conte Tips Ruben Loftus-Cheek To Succeed In Another Position

Antonio Conte is tempted to convert Ruben Loftus-Cheek into a striker after saying the Chelsea youngster has all the attributes to succeed in that position.

The 20-year-old is the brightest prospect to come out of the Chelsea academy since John Terry and appears to have already won over the Italian coach, who took charge earlier this month.

He was impressive in Chelsea’s pre-season victory over Austrian side Wolfsberger, creating several good chances for team-mates before scoring a headed goal in a man of the match display.

Despite scoring just twice in 17 appearances last season, Conte believes the England youth international has the characteristics of a striker and revealed a potential plan to use him in an advanced position in competitive fixtures.

“Every manager has their own idea about a system of play. In this system, with two midfielders, Ruben can play close to the other forward but become a forward when we have the ball,” Conte told the club’s official website.

“He has the right characteristics to play in this position. Ruben is young with great potential. I like him a lot in the position of striker. He can improve a lot because he has great potential, good technique, good personality and he is good one v one.”