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Eden Hazard has backed Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek to become one of the best midfielders in England.

Loftus-Cheek scored his fifth goal of the season on Sunday as Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Loftus-Cheek was named in England’s World Cup squad after impressing while on loan at Crystal Palace last season.

“He’s a fantastic player. We all know. I’ve trained with him for five years,” Hazard told Sky Sports.

“I saw him when he was young, now he is not so young but he can still improve. But in the future I think he will be one of the best midfielders in the country.”

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri was impressed with Loftus-Cheek’s performance against Fulham.

“In the last three weeks, he’s solved me problems,” Sarri said of Loftus-Cheek after his performance against Fulham.

“I was really very happy after the last match in the Europa League because I think he played the best performance from the tactical point of view.

“I was really very happy. Today I saw Kovacic a bit tired, so I put him on the pitch without problems. I was sure about his impact in the match.”