Ruben Loftus-Cheek has admitted Fikayo Tomori ‘inspired’ him to make the leap from Chelsea to Milan, while he hopes to bring something of Ricky Kaka’s ‘running with the ball’ to this team.
The England international completed his transfer to San Siro for circa €16m plus up to another €5.5m in various bonuses, which is his first experience outside of London after Chelsea and loan spells with Crystal Palace and Fulham.
“It’s a special feeling for me, it’s a new chapter. I was at Chelsea for 20 years of my life, this is a special time for me to finally break away from the club, start a new chapter in my life and for it to be at AC Milan is incredible,” he told the official club website.
“To have the opportunity to play here at San Siro, this huge club with the history it has, the legends who have played here, it is an honour to put the shirt on.”
When Loftus-Cheek announced the move, the most excited response he got was from former Chelsea teammate Fikayo Tomori, who has proved English players can make their mark in Serie A and at Milan.
Read Also: Milan sweat on Tomori, Bennacer for Tottenham
“Tomori is a great example of someone who tried a new challenge outside of England and been very successful. For him to win the title with Milan and the success he’s already had with the club inspired me to come here as well,” he said. “I played with Fikayo in the academy and it’ll be good to wear the same shirt as him in the San Siro.”
He continued: “I’ve spoken to him a lot over the last couple of months, especially when things were in the press and he asked if I was coming.
“ At times I couldn’t say too much to him, but when things started getting serious, I was asking about the club, where he lives, where the training ground is and all that.
“He said if you come, then you’ll feel how big the club is, the history of the club and what it means to play for AC Milan. I was always tempted to come. When we played Milan in the Champions League and I felt what it was like to play at San Siro, the atmosphere was amazing.”
Loftus-Cheek has no doubts which Rossoneri legend inspired him the most.
“I love to watch Kaka play, purely because he was an incredible runner with the ball and that is one of my strengths, when I can open up and run with the ball. Kaka was one of the best at that and definitely one of my favourites to watch.”