Thibaut Courtois feels it is strange to see his Belgium teammate spending so much time on the bench at Chelsea, but reckons the striker will come good for the Blues. The goalkeeper just hopes it is not on Wednesday night.
Lukaku’s return to Chelsea last summer has been surprisingly poor, scoring just five goals in 20 Premier League appearances.
The 28-year-old has scored 12 goals in all competitions, so it has not been a disaster, but Lukaku has certainly struggled to endear himself to Blues boss and has not started a Premier League match since 19 February.
Courtois has played with Lukaku for the Belgium national team for over a decade and is wel laware of his quality, believing it is only a matter of time until he forces his way back into the first team at Chelsea.
With the Blues hosting Courtois’ Real Madrid side in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday night, the goalkeeper just hopes Lukaku finds his form in the future.
‘I know Romelu is a really great striker. Obviously, it is a bit strange not to see him play that much lately. He is a guy with an enormous quality. He finds the goal easily,’ said Courtois.
‘Obviously, there are other great strikers in Chelsea. I understand it is not always easy when the team is winning, obviously, the manager keeps playing the same players.
‘But I’m sure he will get through it. Sometimes you just need a little adaptation. I had the same thing in my first season at Real Madrid, it wasn’t easy. I’m sure he will come through.
‘I’m sure he will be good but I hope it’s not tomorrow. He can wait one more week.’
Lukaku will hope for a return to the starting XI on Wednesday after Chelsea’s shock 4-1 loss to Brentford at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, when he only came off the bench with 25 minutes to play.
He has made five Champions League appearances for the Blues this campaign, but did not start either leg of the last 16 win over Lille.
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