Ruben Loftus-Cheek Shows Signs of Quality as Chelsea Usher in a New Era

STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — Jose Mourinho has already delivered on the manifesto he promised when he was reappointed as Chelsea's boss in 2013.

Back then, he was pledging to bring back the Premier League title to Chelsea, to make the Blues a force in English football once more.

He's duly succeeded, and now, the challenge is about achieving something Chelsea haven't since the 1960s—fielding a team complete of homegrown talent.

Not since the days of Terry Venables, Ron Harris and Peter Osgood have we seen Stamford Bridge bursting at the seams with club-trained stars, but there's more than a hint the tide is turning in the modern era.

We witnessed the strongest sign of that yet against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge when Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his full Premier League debut for Chelsea.

The title may well be wrapped up, but this wasn't a token gesture from Mourinho, either. Loftus-Cheek is a player he has long discussed openly in public, a player the manager rates highly.

We saw why against Liverpool.

It wasn't a polished performance from the 19-year-old, neither was it a dominant one. Yet, what did we expect?

He's a kid playing alongside World Cup winners and Premier League champions. It's going to take much more than a debut for him to begin to feel like he belongs in their company.

That will come, but what Loftus-Cheek demonstrated is that when that maturity develops, he's going to be some player.

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He has the physique and touch required to cut it in this Chelsea team, and above all else, he has the character for it all.

There was an air of excitement about Mourinho in his pre-match programme notes.

"Our youth football again had beautiful results, but the best result is for the first team to have a new player who is young, English and made in Chelsea FC," the manager enthused.

"Ruben Loftus-Cheek makes his first start today."

It was akin to a proud father watching his son come of age; Mourinho has spent two years nurturing Loftus-Cheek, and the time had come to show him off to the world.

The sense of occasion didn't get to the player, though. This was routine stuff, just another game; he had a cool head on sturdy shoulders.

Loftus-Cheek was calm for the hour we saw him. It took him around 15 minutes or so to settle and to find a rhythm, but then we saw his talent come to the fore.

The turning point came when Raheem Sterling crossed for Steven Gerrard on the edge of the box. Before the Liverpool captain could head the ball goalwards, he was intercepted by Loftus-Cheek.

He had been caught out of position as Liverpool countered, but he did enough to recover. Loftus-Cheek didn't panic—he read the game, assessed the danger and made up for it.

Whether it was the cheer from an appreciative Stamford Bridge crowd or the pat on the back from his teammates, everything changed.

Indeed, Philippe Coutinho will be testament to that after the Brazilian struggled to affect the game with Loftus-Cheek on the pitch. It was only when he exited that Liverpool's No. 10 looked more at ease.

Loftus-Cheek was exactly what Mourinho would have wanted—physical, assured and competitive.

"It was a fantastic experience for him to feel the intensity and speed in which he has to compete, so I'm happy. He's going to be a Chelsea player, no doubt, and we have other kids I believe can do it, as well," Mourinho said at the final whistle.

"The intensity of the game was different to what he is used to. In the second half, he was chasing more, so I'd prefer to give him a good hour rather than a difficult last 20-25 minutes."

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Those other players Mourinho referenced are Dominic Solanke, Izzy Brown, Lewis Baker, Jeremie Boga and Charly Musonda. Yet, there are even more.

Chelsea are FA Youth Cup winners and UEFA Youth League winners, and if results go their way, they can still retain their Under-21 Premier League crown this season.

The kids are refusing to be ignored.

From making YouTube videos in his garden to playing in front of over 40,000 fans at Stamford Bridge, Loftus-Cheek is leading the way.

He has made big strides already in his short career, and his full debut against Liverpool is just the beginning.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes