Why Loftus-Cheek was recalled by England after six years

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 10:49 AM ET

Milan midfielder has earned his first call-up to the England national team squad in over six years for the September international break. Here is a look at his recent form at club level and his previous relationship with Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel.

Loftus-Cheek back in England squad after six years

The England national team have recently confirmed that Loftus-Cheek has been called up for international duty for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia on September 6 and September 9 respectively.

He comes in alongside Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarrel Quansah, as Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton drops out with a minor injury concern.

Loftus-Cheek will be competing for a spot in the England midfield with Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eliott Anderson and Morgan Rogers. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has not been included on this occasion.

How Loftus-Cheek earned an England call-up

The former Chelsea midfielder has started in both of Milan’s first two Serie A matches of the season: A 2-1 defeat against Cremonese in San Siro, and a 2-0 victory away against Lecce in response.

He also started in the 2-0 victory over Bari in the first round of the Coppa Italia in mid-August.

He has kept his starting spot in midfield, despite Milan bringing in Luka Modric, Ardon Jashari and Italy international Samuele Ricci this summer. Youssouf Fofana has also been eligible to play, as was Yunus Musah until his deadline day move to Atalanta. Adrien Rabiot was also added into the mix on the last day of the summer transfer window.

The Englishman has played in two different roles during his first two league matches of the 2025-26 campaign, showing his tactical versatility.

For the Cremonese match, Loftus-Cheek played in his natural no.8 role in a three-man midfield alongside Modric and Fofana in a Rossoneri 3-5-2.

For the Lecce victory, he played in a more advanced role, playing alongside Alexis Saelemaekers in one of the duel-trequartista positions behind centre-forward Santiago Gimenez in a 3-4-2-1. Loftus-Cheek marked that performance with the opening goal, helping Milan on their way to their first league victory of the campaign. Sky Sport Italia viewers also voted him the player of the match on this occasion.

Aside from his recent Milan form, Loftus-Cheek is a player known to England head coach Tuchel from their time together at Chelsea.

Despite being sent on loan to Crystal Palace for the 2020-21 season, prior to Tuchel’s appointment as Chelsea head coach, the German reinstated Loftus-Cheek for the 2021-22 campaign, and played him in 24 Premier League matches, which likely would have been more had it not been for injuries at the beginning and midway through the campaign.

Now, Loftus-Cheek is the first Serie A player to be called up for England national team duty since his Milan teammate Fikayo Tomori in November 2023.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: