Outlining What Role Ruben Loftus-Cheek Will Play for Chelsea in 2015/16

It says much about Ruben Loftus-Cheek that he's the one Chelsea youngster of first-team age whom the club hasn't sent out on loan.

While the likes of Izzy Brown and Lewis Baker have already departed on temporary deals this summer, the midfielder has been fast-tracked to Jose Mourinho's first team.

Indeed, Mourinho himself has outlined Loftus-Cheek will be a big part of 2015/16 where Chelsea are concerned.

"Next season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be competing for a first-team position," the Chelsea boss explained to the media in March.

"At the moment, we are protecting him. Next season, he will not be a number. He will be a player."

As much as that will be the case, it's fanciful to expect the youngster to be featuring regularly. For now, he needs to accept he's cover for the more experienced pros at Chelsea, and he'll be filling the gaps when the time calls for it.

Chelsea aren't bursting at the seams with attacking midfielders right now, but Mourinho has more options further forward than he does in the pivot.

Outside of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic, Chelsea were horribly short last term. Ramires can operate there sufficiently although his instincts are to play more on the front foot and maraud forward.

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And as for John Obi Mikel, if he ever had any influence, that's waned significantly. He rarely featured last season—mainly due to injury although when fit, he was hardly a first choice for the manager.

Kurt Zouma was the revelation for Chelsea last term. It wasn't his impressive defensive displays that stood out but more to do with how he marshaled the midfield against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, respectively.

Against Spurs in the Capital One Cup final, he covered for the suspended Matic in superb style. The supply line to Harry Kane was cut off, and Christian Eriksen disappeared.

When United visited west London in April, Marouane Fellaini was squeezed out as well.

It was a temporary solution that worked for Mourinho. Zouma allowed him to tweak his set-up at times and try new things to ensure a loss of key personnel didn't impact Chelsea's dominance.

Looking to the future, Zouma isn't the ideal candidate to play that role, however. Mourinho has big ideas for the Frenchman to be a part of his defence.

That role we saw Zouma play belongs to Loftus-Cheek.

He only turned 19 in January, so Loftus-Cheek is hardly the finished article. Now it's Mourinho's mission to make him just that.

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His imposing physique means Loftus-Cheek can operate in many different ways in this Chelsea team. Youth football has shown us he can be the enforcer if need be while he's equally adept in possession.

Speaking to Loftus-Cheek, you get the impression this kid has a wise, old head on those broad, young shoulders. There have been some hiccups en route to the first team—think his performance against Sydney FC in Chelsea's post-season tour—yet none of them have seemed to faze him.

There isn't an ego; instead he's calm, considers his responses to questions put to him and is respectful.

There's always the offer of a handshake—sometimes a fist pump—as he walks through the mixed zone, regardless of whether he's on interview duty or not.

And that character transfers to the pitch, as we witnessed in the couple of appearances he made near the end of the season.

Loftus-Cheek looked untroubled against Liverpool. Chelsea were champions by that stage although games of that magnitude are rarely reduced to dead rubbers.

He carried a degree of authority, letting his presence be known.

In some ways, he has the look of being a Matic-Fabregas hybrid, a polished midfield equivalent of Zouma in some ways. He may well never become an exact replica of each player, but Loftus-Cheek will have enough in his locker to be a significant addition to Chelsea's spine.

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Mourinho's criticism after that Sydney FC game was very deliberate. He could have left it in the privacy of the dressing room, disciplining the player behind closed doors.

Sometimes, that isn't enough, and the manager is testing him. The next time Loftus-Cheek features for Chelsea, the attention will be on how much effort he puts in, if he runs the hard yards and makes the right decisions.

He's moved on from being the young and upcoming hope. In 2015/16, things are going to be expected, and Loftus-Cheek has to deliver.

His role is about filling that hole we saw develop in midfield whenever Matic wasn't present last term. Mourinho doesn't want another Newcastle United on his hands, that's for sure.

The manager is seeking perfection in that regard, and it's going to be Loftus-Cheek's duty to help deliver that.

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