Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has hailed the rise of starlet Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Loftus-Cheek, 19, made his debut in the Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon in December and also started the 1-1 Premier League draw against Liverpool last week.

The midfielder was also the part of the Chelsea youth squad that won the FA Youth Cup and U21 European Champions but hailed his rise from the academy to senior football as the most important title for the Stamford Bridge club.

"This year, the most important title for the academy was Ruben, not the European or FA Youth Cup. It was Ruben," Mourinho said.

"Maybe he is better than the player I buy. And if he is, he plays and the player I buy doesn't. But at the moment he's not better."