Chelsea: Ruben Loftus-Cheek desperate to impress Antonio Conte ahead of Italian's arrival

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek insists everyone at the club will spend the rest of the season trying to impress incoming manager Antonio Conte.

Conte, 54, was unveiled as the next Chelsea boss on Monday 4 April and will officially begin duties at Stamford Bridge following Italy's Euro 2016 campaign. Currently sat 10 points off Champions League qualification and having been eliminated from the FA Cup and the Champions League, Chelsea's current season is meandering towards an uneventful conclusion under Guus Hiddink.

But Loftus-Cheek, 20, insists the imminent change in regime means no one can afford to switch off.

"The next manager coming in is watching us now, and you always want to do your best in every game," Loftus-Cheek told the Evening Standard. "We all want to impress the next man who is taking over. Everyone has got to be at their best, we can't rest on our laurels because there are no trophies to play for."

Loftus-Cheek has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season and will be looking to build on that under Conte. The midfielder admits the example set by Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli, who has become a key player at White Hart Lane and a fully-fledged England international this season, is a good one to follow.

"He is doing well in the England team and that gives other young players coming through the belief as well," he said. "I've been good friends with Dele for a long time. We have been in the England set-up together since I was young. We played together a few times; he's a really nice guy.

"We text each other. When we were at St George's Park the other week for the international break, we chilled out together. You want to do your best individually but healthy competition is good to push you on. We are not trying to be better than each other in a confrontational kind of way, you just want to do the best for yourself. That drives you forward."