Having officially penned a four-year deal with Milan after completing his transfer from Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks set to play a key role for Milan in the upcoming season, and his flexibility across the midfield positions could be an enormous benefit for the Rossoneri.
The 27-year-old, who has been capped 10 times by England, four of which came at the 2018 World Cup, has played in a number of different roles during his time in the Premier League.
Most familiar to him is perhaps the role in a two-man midfield, which could be particularly helpful to Stefano Pioli if he sticks with a 4-2-3-1 system for the 2023-24 season. Loftus-Cheek has also played on countless occasions in a midfield pairing in a 3-4-3 system for Chelsea.
If a 4-3-3 system is of interest to Pioli, then Loftus-Cheek is also capable of playing more of a box-to-box role as one of the more advanced midfielders thanks to his physical attributes and ball-carrying strengths.
If needed, Loftus-Cheek can also be deployed further up the pitch if Milan are after a bit more physicality in the attacking third. He has also filled in at wing-back for Chelsea in a particular system under Graham Potter.
Whilst his goalscoring record leaves a little to be desired, Loftus-Cheek does give Milan several options, particularly in a period where numbers in midfield are temporarily lacking.
Sandro Tonali is an official confirmation away from joining Newcastle, Ismael Bennacer will be sidelined for a large chunk of next season through injury, Yacine Adli is set to leave and Aster Vranckx and Tiemoue Bakayoko have now technically returned to their parent clubs.
At the moment, Loftus-Cheek, along with Rade Krunic and Tomasso Pobega are the only available senior midfielders in the squad. If rumours are to believed, however, Milan are still in the market for reinforcements.