Ruben Loftus-Cheek has opened up about the brutal injuries he suffered after a nasty head clash while playing for AC Milan. He’s now facing at least two months out.

Last night at the San Siro, Loftus-Cheek collided with Parma’s goalkeeper, Edoardo Corvi, going up for a ball. He was taken off the pitch on a stretcher, neck and head strapped tightly. It looked bad right away. Now it’s confirmed: he broke his jaw and lost several teeth. He ended up in the hospital, and doctors say he’ll need around eight weeks to recover.

That rules him out of England’s upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan scheduled for the end of March.

Milan released a statement: Loftus-Cheek suffered “significant facial trauma” and had a fractured jaw. Surgeons at ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo performed the surgery, and the club reports that it went perfectly. He’s already been discharged from the hospital.

Loftus-Cheek posted on Instagram, “It was a tough blow, but the worst is behind me.” He thanked the medical staff, fans, and his teammates, saying their support gave him strength. “We are a team; we are a family. Now, forward towards our goals, strong and united, together.”

Milan lost 1-0 without him, which leaves them in second place in Serie A, ten points behind their big rivals, Inter.

Loftus-Cheek, who grew up in London, has played 27 games for Milan this season, scoring three goals and picking up an assist. He’s now in his third year at the club and just six matches away from hitting 100 appearances.

Before moving to Italy, he spent nearly a decade in and around Chelsea’s first team, with loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham. After 19 years at Chelsea, where he progressed through their academy, he joined Milan in June 2023 for £15 million.

He’s played for England 11 times since debuting in 2017, but was out of the squad for six years before Thomas Tuchel, now England’s manager, called him back last September to fill in for Adam Wharton.

Back then, Loftus-Cheek admitted he’d stopped thinking about England selection: “You still want to push in club football, hoping you might get a look-in. But honestly, I just forgot about it and became a fan instead.”

He’s played all over the pitch under Tuchel, sometimes higher up, closer to the striker, and other times deeper in midfield. Asked if his versatility might help his World Cup chances, Loftus-Cheek said, “Who knows? I can play different positions. Since joining AC Milan, I’ve played higher up to score goals and help the team in the final third. Under Tuchel, I played deeper. I can do both, and in a tournament, being versatile is a good thing. I’m happy to play anywhere for the team and give it everything, whatever the position.”

Milan paid the price for sloppy finishing and slow defending. Parma handed them their first Serie A loss since the opening weekend, and now Milan sit 10 points behind Inter.

After a 1-1 draw with Como in a rescheduled midweek match, the Rossoneri were already struggling. That game left them seven points behind Inter, saw Max Allegri sent off and suspended, and forced some last-minute changes. Strahinja Pavlovic wasn’t fit enough to start, and Santiago Gimenez was out, but Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to action, and Adrien Rabiot was back from suspension. Then, just before kickoff, Matteo Gabbia pulled out during the warm-up, so Koni De Winter stepped in, and Davide Bartesaghi found himself in a new spot in the back three. Parma, meanwhile, came in with momentum after two straight wins, even though they had Alessandro Circati suspended and a handful of injuries; Ndiaye, Suzuki, Almqvist, and Frigan were all missing.

The match had its moments. Early on, Alexis Saelemaekers whipped in a wild rabona cross, but Loftus-Cheek and Parma’s keeper Corvi crashed into each other trying to meet it. Loftus-Cheek came off worse, stretchered off, and Ardon Jashari took his place.

Corvi stayed busy, standing up to shots from Pulisic and Jashari, then darted off his line to stop Pulisic again from a tough angle.

Right before halftime, Milan nearly broke through. Rabiot nodded down a ball from Bartesaghi, Pulisic found space 14 yards out, but drove his shot wide.

Then came a bit of drama. Rafael Leao got booked for diving in the box; he went down a little too easily. But Milan almost scored moments later. Leao chased a Saelemaekers through ball, Corvi slid out to knock it away, and Pulisic pounced on the rebound. With the net gaping, Mariano Troilo lunged in with a desperate tackle to keep it scoreless.

Parma mostly sat back, but they had their chances too. Emanuele Valeri nearly flicked in a cross at full stretch, forcing Mike Maignan into a difficult save.

Leao came heartbreakingly close to scoring on 64 minutes. Milan recycled a poorly-cleared corner, and Leao’s acrobatic volley hit the inside of the post, rolled along the goal line, and somehow stayed out.

Pavlovic came off the bench and nodded a free kick wide. Then Parma struck. Mariano Troilo leapt over Bartesaghi at the back post and headed in a corner. The referee first blew for a foul but, after checking VAR, ruled that Valenti just blocked Maignan; he didn’t foul him, so the goal stood.

Niclas Füllkrug had a couple of late looks, heading a corner over and then seeing another shot deflected just wide. But in the end, Milan’s missed chances and defensive lapses cost them.