A move to either Sunderland or Burnley would have given Loftus-Cheek the game time he requires, according to James.
Loftus-Cheek in action for England Under-21s (number 10)
Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek has now played more minutes for England Under-21s (275) than he has for the Blues (253) this season.
The 21-year-old shone in the Three Lions’ 4-0 win in Denmark on Tuesday, scoring once in each half for Aidy Boothroyd’s side.
Naturally, his performance raised questions as to why he hasn’t featured more often for Chelsea, a subject ex-England goalkeeper David James was keen to discuss afterwards.
“I don’t know why, this season, or even the beginning of next season, if Conte’s not going to play him, they don’t do what they did with [Victor] Moses and loan him out to a Premier League side,” James told BT Sport.
Moses spent time at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United before returning to Stamford Bridge last summer, where he has since become a regular under new boss Antonio Conte.
And James suggested that a temporary move to a club like Sunderland or Burnley would have benefitted all parties.
“He’s a Premier League player. He can’t get in the best side in England at the moment, that’s understandable, but why can’t he go play the likes of Sunderland, the likes of Burnley, get his game time,” he added.
“It improves England – okay, it also improves Chelsea – but one of our best players should be playing regularly.”
In accordance with Premier League rules, clubs can loan a maximum two players from the same division at any one time – a quota reached by both Sunderland and Burnley until the latter terminated Patrick Bamford’s spell in January.
Middlesbrough’s Bamford spent the first half of the campaign on loan to Burnley from Chelsea
Sunderland signed Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United) and Jason Denayer (Manchester City) on season-long deals last summer, with Burnley bringing in Jon Flanagan (Liverpool) and Bamford (Chelsea).
What impact could Loftus-Cheek have had on Sunderland/Burnley’s season?
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