Romelu Lukaku ‘does not like the situation’ and ‘it is not easy for him’ as he struggles to get into the starting XI at Chelsea, admits his manager Thomas Tuchel.
The 28-year-old has struggled to find anything like his best form this season since his £97.5m summer move from Inter Milan, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, which is not the return he or the club would have hoped for.
Such have been his struggles that the striker cannot get into the starting line-up at the moment, left out of the XI for the last Champions League outing against Lille, the League Cup final against Liverpool and the last Premier League match at Burnley.
With Kai Havertz in impressive form in his place, Lukaku does not look likely to return to the fold any time soon and Tuchel acknowledges it is hard for the Belgian superstar.
However, the German has praised his striker’s professionalism, saying Lukaku is ‘as positive as can be’ despite his extended time on the bench.
‘Of course, it is not easy at the moment for him but he is a member of the team – an important member of the team,’ Tuchel told a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Premier League meeting with Norwich on Thursday.
‘There are other players at certain times who are not happy because the biggest problem is we can only start 11 players and lot of players think – and have a reason – to feel they are regular starters for us.
‘There’s always a chance [for Lukaku] because Kai can also play more positions, we can play with double strikers like in the second half against Burnley and Luton. There’s always a chance, it is not only Romelu. It is also Timo (Werner) and sometimes one of the midfielders. It is the quality that makes the difference.
‘Romelu fights for it like everybody else. This is what we need. He is as positive as can be. He does not like the situation, nobody does. He handles it very professionally. I try to do my best to be respectful and supportive like for everybody else.’
Chelsea have a busy few days coming up, playing Norwich and Newcastle in the Premier League before Lille in the Champions League and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, all within a space of 10 days.
Lukaku will expect to be back in the starting line-up during that hectic period and will have to take his chance to shine ahead of bigger matches before the end of the season.
MORE : Thomas Tuchel urges Chelsea’s new owners not to replace two key figures at Stamford Bridge
MORE : Chelsea Supporters’ Trust beg fans to stop singing Roman Abramovich songs during Ukraine tributes
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.from Football – Metro https://ift.tt/ub6JQYU
No comments:
Post a Comment