Thomas Tuchel has been told that Romelu Lukaku has burned his bridges at Chelsea amid growing uncertainty regarding his future at the west London club. The 28-year-old was one of four changes made by the German boss for this evening's clash against Arsenal.
The Belgium striker, who signed from Inter Milan in the summer, has made his first Premier League start for the club since February. Lukaku enjoyed his previous start against Arsenal when the Blues ran riot at the Emirates in August, scoring inside the opening quarter of an hour.
However, despite his moments of magic in the early stages of the season, he's struggled to live up to his eye-watering £97.5m price tag. Lukaku has It's seen his market value plummet by £13.5m since returning to Stamford Bridge.
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So, with the Belgian's growing misfortunes in mind, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has said that Lukaku has no future at the club while speaking on Sky Sports. However, the former Chelsea striker did claim that the striker can finally warrant his price tag with a spritely display.
When quizzed whether Lukaku's story at Stamford Bridge can still have a happy ending, Hasselbaink replied: "I don't think it can. As a manager, you never give up on your players.
"For Lukaku, it is an incredible opportunity to play in a London derby and justify that price tag. He is getting those chances, and I'm sure he will continue to play well and hopefully start to find the back of the net."
Hasselbaink added by referring back to the Belgian's joy against Arsenal earlier in the season, as aforementioned. The 50-year-old then concluded by questioning Lukaku's fitness.
"The game against Arsenal was certainly his best game in a Chelsea shirt since he's come back," Hasselbaink said. "I think he played against Pablo Mari and Rob Holding, Ben White was out with Covid, so it was never going to be the most difficult back two to play against.
"I don't think he looks as fit as he did when he was at Inter Milan, even at the start of the season. He is a boy that looks really sharp some weeks, then others he looks a bit laboured with his movement. But, he can turn it on on certain occasions, and Chelsea are looking for that focal point to get [Timo] Werner running off the back of him."
