England star rejected Thomas Tuchel's request to play in different position

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has brought Ruben Loftus-Cheek back into the international fold. The AC Milan midfielder praises Tuchel as a "very intelligent manager" despite previously refusing his positional switch request. The former Chelsea star is reuniting with Tuchel, having previously worked alongside him during their time at Stamford Bridge. Loftus-Cheek is now plying his trade in Italy after being offloaded by the German tactician himself.

The 29-year-old has disclosed that when he initially started working with Tuchel, the former Bayern Munich boss approached him, suggesting he operate as a wing-back, despite establishing himself in midfield. Loftus-Cheek turned down the proposal, but Tuchel persisted with his strategy regardless and continued to utilise the former Chelsea player across various positions. He has now broken his six-year absence from the England setup after impressing in Milan.

Speaking about his international coach, Loftus-Cheek recalled: "When he came to Chelsea, he spoke to me about playing right wing-back. I said, 'No! No! No!' But I played there anyway! I played many positions under him. He values my physicality. He's a very intelligent manager."

Certain English players can feel forgotten once they venture beyond the Premier League, with numerous standout performers ignored in previous years. However, Loftus-Cheek remained reasonably optimistic that he would receive a call-up from his former club manager.

He added: "I didn't know too much about him [Tuchel] as a manager when I came back. I did pre-season with Chelsea and that's when we spoke about playing wing-back. I also played centre-back for one game and right-wing back so a number of positions for him.

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"After working with him, I know that he knows me as a player so I thought that if I was doing well, I would have a chance. I knew the manager would be keeping tabs on the players playing abroad so I thought I might get a shout."

The German has demonstrated his willingness to select players plying their trade beyond England's borders, including Saudi Arabia-based Ivan Toney in his most recent squad.

Loftus-Cheek and Jarell Quansah will link up with Tuchel's group for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. The former Chelsea midfielder has benefited after Adam Wharton pulled out due to a groin problem picked up during Crystal Palace's 3-0 triumph over Aston Villa on Sunday.