Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has said that Romelu Lukaku “does not like the situation” he has found himself in, as the Belgian continues to struggle to nail down a spot in the starting line-up.
Lukaku originally looked to have hit the ground running upon signing for Chelsea, but issues both on and off the pitch have seen him used more sparingly in recent weeks.
In addition, the fine form of Kai Havertz has done Lukaku no favours, with the former Manchester United and Inter striker yet to score in the Premier League in 2022.
What was said?
“It is not easy in this 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 Thursday's game against Norwich.
“There are other players at certain times who are not happy because the biggest problem is we can only start 11 players. A lot of players think and have a reason to be regular starters for us.
Next Match
“There’s always a chance because Kai can also play more positions, we can play with double strikers like in the second half against Burnley and Luton.
“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.”
Team news
With Chelsea set to face Norwich on Thursday, Tuchel explained that he has almost a full squad to pick from, stating: “We had everybody on the pitch today except Ben Chilwell, of course, and Reece James who has a muscular problem after his last three matches.
“Not his injured leg, the other leg. But still, we need examination. We thought he could be maybe on the pitch today but he couldn't. So we need further examinations to see what's going on.
“We are worried, but still we need some more details and some more information. It was obviously what he gives to our team and can give to our team. So it's not good news at the moment.”