By the time the World Cup break starts, Ruben Loftus-Cheek will likely be four matches away from equalling his total league minutes from last season. He did make 40 appearances across the season for Thomas Tuchel last term, but only truly felt like part of the squad after becoming a makeshift defender.
For the 26-year-old it has been one segment of a remarkable recovery. The Blues were ready to finally cut ties with him in the summer of 2021 after an average loan and it seemed that his time at Stamford Bridge had dwindled out. He's not yet found the goalscoring touch as a midfield No.8 that many thought he would have, and if there's one criticism of his game it's that goals are too infrequent still - but his role is massively increased.
Across both Tuchel and Graham Potter this campaign he has played an integral role moving across the pitch. Sometimes he's in the favoured No.8 spot, sometimes in a double-pivot, he's been used as a defensive midfielder and a lone No.6.
READ MORE: Gareth Southgate has just handed Graham Potter early Christmas present with clear Chelsea plan
Then there are the times he's been used at wing-back. It's hard not to think that the versatility is holding him back, but without it there may not have been much of a chance for him to forge yet another pathway through at Chelsea.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Blues' match against high-flying Newcastle, Loftus-Cheek revealed the moment that Tuchel told him he'd be playing as a wing-back. "Wing-back?!" he said when told, but was met with a serious manager, replying, "Yeah, I think it would be good." It turns out the German was right.
Loftus-Cheek's speed, technical ability and frame allow him to do a decent job as a wing-back, but the role came up against Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr in a Champions League quarter-final with the Blues 3-1 down from the first leg. "I didn't know what to think of it," the Englishman added. "I'd never played in the back-line in my professional career."
Throughout his time at SW6 there aren't many places he hasn't played. Starting out as a No.10, Jose Mourinho moved him into defensive midfield but felt he lacked discipline, from there he was used as a striker, Frank Lampard put him at right wing for a while and his inverted performance as a right-winger/right wing-back against Tottenham earlier this season was one of his best in a Chelsea shirt.
At the time the move was a risk, but it worked and the Blues nearly pulled off the impossible. Since then he's been more or less a mainstay. "In the modern game the wing-backs are influencing a lot in the final third," Loftus-Cheek explained. "It's not like a proper defender. It's like a hybrid - can attack and defend."
In the current squad he is the best fit for a backup to Reece James due to his physicality and touch, two elements not suited to Cesar Azpilicueta or the forward options Potter has used in recent weeks. Without James, Chelsea are already unbalanced - Loftus-Cheek is the closest way to move back towards equilibrium, but it's not the perfect answer.
"I played there and I played well am comfortable anywhere on the pitch, but I have always been a centre-midfielder. I can affect the game with my physicality most there, when I am able to get up and down in both boxes." That's certainly where Chelsea would benefit from having him most, but until a serious option comes up to replace James, he is likely to be shifted about more still.
It was the versatility that made him a late contender to be part of Gareth Southgate's 26-man England World Cup squad, but the call-up didn't come. There's still room to play for his country again, but after injuring himself in 2019 there hasn't been another international appearance. "I didn't know what to think because I'd never had an injury like that. All your weight goes through the Achilles. It's where the stiffness comes from, the power, which is my game.
"If I didn't have the power, then what can I bring?"
There's still plenty to bring for Loftus-Cheek, even if he can't hit the expectations that Chelsea fans initially thought they were getting, he can play a vital role in how the club moves forward.
READ NEXT:
Predicted Chelsea team vs Newcastle – Silva risked, Jorginho returns, Aubameyang decision made
Every word Graham Potter said on Chelsea process, Boehly meeting, James, Jorginho, Gallagher
Graham Potter provides Jorginho injury update as Chelsea receive Newcastle boost
Full list of Chelsea players going to Qatar 2022 World Cup with double omission as Gallagher in
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
