Ruben Loftus-Cheek has reflected on his football education coming up through the ranks at Chelsea.

The 22-year-old, who enjoyed a successful spell with Crystal Palace last season, has returned to Stamford Bridge to fight for a spot in Maurizio Sarri's midfield.

And the England international insists he can cope with the rigours of first team football after his time at Selhurst Park.

"Being at Chelsea, it's a top club with top players," he said. "When I'm training at 17 or 18 with the first team, it was really good for my education playing with these top players.

"I really enjoyed playing and training with them, I could feel myself getting better every day and improving, but it got to a point where training wasn't enough and you need the exposure in the Premier League.

"That's when I took the chance to go to Palace, and even when that happened, I thought I could've done it earlier. I started really enjoying my football, playing in the Premier League every week, and I felt the benefits.

"The benefit of last season at Palace [was first-team football]. I was fortunate enough to be fit for that period where it's like a game every three days over Christmas, and I got my body used to being able to play, have a rest, then play on a Tuesday. That was massive for me and I coped with it well."