Thomas Tuchel has promised Romelu Lukaku that he still has a "big part" to play in his plans at Chelsea despite transfer rumours linking the striker with a move away from the club. Over the past few days, Lukaku has been linked with a return to Inter Milan, who are reportedly keen on re-signing the Belgian on loan in the summer.
According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the 28-year-old striker is 'not happy' with his situation at Chelsea and is becoming increasingly frustrated. Lukaku has not started in the Premier League since the 1-0 win against Crystal Palace in February, with the form of Kai Havertz making the German virtually undroppable.
With that, and the fact that Lukaku stated his unhappiness in an explosive interview with Sky Italia in December, the inevitable transfer rumours have re-appeared. However, Tuchel, when pressed on Lukaku's future, was quick to play down such suggestions.
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"We don’t reflect on it. The situation at the moment is that we cannot talk to players, cannot sell, and cannot buy," Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. "At this moment, we don’t need to think about it. These are the players we have and Romelu still plays a big part in our plans.
"Not the part maybe he wants to play and I totally understand that, but he used his time to disconnect a little bit, had one week of a holiday, and then he was back with us. I feel him very motivated, very strong in training, very much involved when we do the games.
"He is a winner and he will stay a winner and stay important with us. He had a good match against Middlesbrough which was a huge boost for all of us and for him personally.
"And at the moment, there is no space for a bad mood and no space for disappointment. There is simply not. I checked the schedule last week and I knew this was the schedule but once it is in front of you, you see what's coming.
"There are a lot of matches in the decisive weeks of the season. That’s why there is no space now for second thoughts, being distracted or disappointed. We need everybody, every player and that includes Romelu."
Lukaku will be hoping he gets the nod from Tuchel on Saturday afternoon as Chelsea welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge. The form of Havertz, though, means there is a high chance Lukaku will be named on the bench to start with.
