Maurizio Sarri names the 'one very important' player during his time at Chelsea

Reflecting on his time as Chelsea boss, Maurizio Sarri has named a surprise player as one of the most important during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian spent the 2019/20 season as head coach of Chelsea, lifting the Europa League trophy and finishing third in the Premier League before moving to Juventus.

Sarri has admitted that he feels that he made a mistake by leaving the Blues, despite going on to win the Serie A with Juve in his first season with the club.

While many Chelsea fans struggled to get on board with the brand of football labelled as 'Sarriball', the Italian left his mark on the club by bringing in his former midfielder Jorginho, who would go on to win the Champions League with the Blues.

When discussing his most important players, Jorginho will no doubt be the first player to spring to mind when Chelsea fans think of Sarri, or perhaps Eden Hazard, but they will be surprised to know that those are not the names that the Italian suggests.

Speaking to The Sun, Sarri revealed who his most important players were, while dropping a surprise name as the most important star in his system.

“I loved them all; Luiz, Rudiger, Azpi," Sarri began before naming his surprise inclusion.

"But for me one very important player in my season was Loftus. Very, very important. I think he could have done more."

Loftus-Cheek saw his season end early in a tragic injury, which derailed his Chelsea career at it's very beginning, as he ruptured his Achilles tendon against New England Revolution in a friendly before the end of the season.

This came at the worst possible time for one of Sarri's favourites, who was putting on a show on a weekly basis for Chelsea, linking up well with Eden Hazard.

When asked about Loftus-Cheek's ability, Sarri discussed the injury as he said: “But the injuries were a really big problem for him. He had to go 11, 12 months without playing.

“Then it takes another season to reach the same level as before. It is a big thing for one but I think in time he will reach a great level. I hope now there is a great future for him. He deserves it. Achilles was a big, big problem for him.”

The midfielder has since found a home in Sarri's native Italy, becoming a fixture in AC Milan's team alongside former Blues Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Christian Pulisic.

With Sarri looking to return to management, he may try to re-unite himself with Loftus-Cheek in the future.