Former manager Glenn Hoddle fears Thomas Tuchel doesn’t have a plan for the club’s record signing .
The Belgium international has struggled to come anywhere close to justifying Chelsea’s decision to spend £97million on him in the summer and has been playing second fiddle to in recent weeks.
Lukaku hasn’t started a Premier League game since the middle of February and is almost certain to be left on the bench against in the Champions League this evening.
Hoddle fears the former Inter and Manchester United striker is paying the price for a controversial interview he gave to Italian media earlier this season and believes the 28-year-old is in danger of being deemed surplus to requirements.
‘Havertz has simply played better than Lukaku, to be honest, and has a bit more subtlety to his game,’ explained Hoddle. ‘Lukaku is a bit of a problem for Tuchel — he doesn’t quite know what to do with him.
‘Ever since he did that interview with Italian media it has all gone pear-shaped with his form and injuries. He has to look at himself in the mirror and change his mindset.
‘Lukaku needs game-time and he isn’t getting it because he doesn’t deserve it. At the moment it is an easy decision for Tuchel. He doesn’t see a reaction from him. There are a lot of things happening at the club that need to be sorted right now and Lukaku’s future is one of those.’
Tuchel’s own future has been a matter of intense speculation in recent weeks but Hoddle believes the ex-PSG head coach is still the man for the job, even if he finishes the season without a trophy.
He said: ‘Chelsea have one of the best managers in Europe. Why would you even contemplate letting him go?
‘They are third right now and will be in the Champions League next season. And if they don’t win a trophy they still have the right jockey on the horse. It doesn’t always mean the horse will win but on and off the pitch he has been excellent — and he will continue to do that.
‘The problem is sometimes as a manager is you have to watch out when you set a standard. Once you do what he did, winning the Champions League inside his first six months in the job, you have to live by that every time.
‘It also gives him a bit of leeway and certainly there is no reason why he can’t go and win that again, as well as the FA Cup. They have all their players firing now and all fit. They are still a very good side, and they should be favourites to beat Madrid.’
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