Ruben Loftus-Cheek has rejected comparisons to Dele Alli ahead of a potential England debut against Germany.
The young Chelsea midfielder, who is currently on loan at Crystal Palace, has been called up to senior Three Lions squad for the first time.
The 21-year-old is the same age as Dele Alli. Although he is highly-rated, he is arguably quite far behind Alli in terms of development.
But Loftus-Cheek has suggested that isn’t a major problem.
“I definitely don’t want to be compared with Dele anymore. Everyone’s journey is different in football, no-one’s the same,” he said. (Quotes via Evening Standard.)
“We are completely different players. To compare players at different stages in their career shouldn’t happen.
“I haven’t spoken to Dele since I was called up by England. I was hoping to see him at the weekend when Crystal Palace played Tottenham but he was up in the stands and injured.
“I was looking forward to playing against him, but unfortunately he wasn’t fit. He is a massive miss for England, but hopefully, we will play together for England one day very soon.”
Considering Mauricio Pochettino’s record of developing young English talent, you get the feeling Loftus-Cheek wouldn’t be sent out on loan if he played for Spurs.
