Ruben Loftus-Cheek is facing up to a year out of action as a result of the achilles injury he suffered in a friendly for Chelsea this week.

The skilful midfielder underwent surgery to repair his ruptured achilles last night, and reports now say the club is fearful Loftus-Cheek will be on the sidelines for anywhere between six and 12 months.

Loftus-Cheek suffered the horror injury during a fundraising friendly against New England Revolution in Boston earlier this week. He left the stadium on crutches and will miss the Europa League Final and England's Nations League finals – some of the most important games of his young career.

https://twitter.com/rubey_lcheek/status/1126616533671849984

The timing of the injury is what makes it so tough to take. The 23-year-old was having the best season of his career in a Chelsea shirt, making 40 appearances for his boyhood club and reaching 10 goals for the first time – Loftus-Cheek was finally being given the chance to realise his potential in a Blues shirt.

Ironically, RLC's fellow academy graduate Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered the same injury last month. Let's hope the two young lions can come back stronger and keep on rising next season.