Ian Rush believes Chelsea's decision to part ways with Tammy Abraham has been made to look all the more questionable amid Romelu Lukaku's struggles this season.
The Liverpool legend has conceded he has been left surprised by how hard Lukaku has found life back at Stamford Bridge - and feels Abraham's presence may have eased some of the pressure on the big-money Belgian.
Lukaku notched four goals in his first four outings following his mega-money £98million switch from Inter Milan last summer.
However, the goals have dried up since with the Belgium international finding the net just twice since October and sparking a wave of controversy with recent comments in an interview - which saw him dropped by Thomas Tuchel.
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Just five days after Lukaku had sealed his Chelsea return, academy graduate Abraham headed through the exit door, joining Roma under former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.
Already Abraham has netted 17 goals and registered three assists across all competitions.
Former Wales and Liverpool icon Rush told Gambling.com: "I’ve been watching Romelu Lukaku’s progress since he patched things up with Thomas Tuchel but he doesn’t seem to have rediscovered his form for Chelsea as I expected.
"I see it as a slightly similar situation to the one Harry Kane was in at the start of the season.
"But Kane is starting to score goals again now and I wonder will Lukaku go the same way once he gets some minutes under his belt.
"We know he can score goals because he’s done it at every level already, but he’s got to build up his fitness because he doesn’t look sharp.
"You could even argue that he’s trying a bit too hard. I’ve been in that position before where nothing is going in for you and then you start to overwork which makes matters worse."
Rush went on to compare and contrast Lukaku's struggles with Abraham's joy abroad.
"Some Chelsea fans may be wondering why they sold Tammy Abraham and brought in Lukaku. Abraham is scoring goals for fun in Italy, although it has to be said Serie A is not as strong as the Premier League these days.
"But the big difference between Abraham and Lukaku right now is that the former is enjoying his football.
"Jose Mourinho has been showing Abraham some love, which is really important for a striker, while Lukaku and Tuchel haven’t exactly seen eye to eye.
"It’s important for Lukaku to just knuckle down and stay patient, I’ve no doubt his quality will shine through for Chelsea sooner or later."
