England manager Gareth Southgate believes Chelsea's senior stars have made an effort to prevent Ruben Loftus-Cheek from breaking into the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Loftus-Cheek was one of the star performers for England as they held world champions Germany to a 0-0 draw in a friendly on Friday.
The midfielder is on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea and Southgate feels his team-mates at his parent club have had an impact on his inability to break through.
"I've known Ruben a long time – I think the first time I saw him was an Under-16 international – I think Dele Alli played that night in his first game too," Southgate said.
"And when you see his physical size, you think you'll also see a certain type of player. Then I saw what you all saw against Germany – one that is so technically gifted.
"He's also been able to battle through difficult spells at Chelsea where he's been training with senior players who have recognised his talent and so they get to him in training.
"Have they kept him in his place? Yes. They probably saw the threat."
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