Ruben Loftus-Cheek 'like a swiss army knife' says Hargreaves
Chelsea are flying high in the league under Maurizio Sarri and sit two points behind leaders Liverpool with neither side yet to taste defeat.
The Blues’ latest win came on Sunday when they put four past Burnley with goals from Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Alvaro Morata and Willian.
Loftus-Cheek was forced to start on the bench despite netting a stunning hat-trick in his previous match, a 3-1 win over BATE Borisov in the Europa League.
The midfielder made a name for himself on loan at Crystal Palace last season after failing to make an impression on Antonio Conte.
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If he and Loftus-Cheek keep up their current form, Chelsea may save themselves a cool £100m.
Barkley remained under the Italian’s leadership but found appearances hard to come by.
But Crooks feels if the talented duo continue to leave their mark, Chelsea won’t need to splash the cash on attacking reinforcements in January.
“I honestly thought that Barkley was out of his depth when he went to Chelsea from Everton - but having seen the progress he has made this season under Sarri, I am inclined to change my mind,” he told BBC Sport.
“The ball for Alvaro Morata to score Chelsea's opening goal was something out of the Zinedine Zidane portfolio.
“The England international is starting to look like the player I first saw taking teams apart at Everton.
“If he and Loftus-Cheek keep up their current form, Chelsea may save themselves a cool £100m.”
Loftus Cheek’s impressive display has seen calls from some pundits and fans to get a starting role under Sarri.
But with competition rife in Chelsea’s midfield, the 22-year-old faces a tough task to break into the team.
“What a week this lad has had: A hat-trick on Thursday in the Europa League against BATE Borisov and another fabulous goal against Burnley as Chelsea brushed aside their opponents,” said Crooks.
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“Manager Maurizio Sarri was masterful in his response when asked about starting Loftus-Cheek at Turf Moor.
“’My problem is that I can only pick 11 players,’ he said with a smirk.
“Nevertheless, Sarri brought on the England international after 30 minutes in place of Pedro and didn't regret it.
“I thought Loftus-Cheek should never have returned to Stamford Bridge after his loan spell at Crystal Palace last season but if he carries on like this he could be their future.”
Both players will hope for more game time when Chelsea host Frank Lampard’s Derby County in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.