Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has explained that Romelu Lukaku has been left out of his starting lineup in recent weeks due to a lack of fitness.
The Belgian has not started a Premier League game since the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on February 19 and was left out of the starting XI for the FA Cup semi-final against the Eagles after recovering from a heel problem. Tuchel, who claimed he was ready to give Lukaku a chance to impress him at Wembley, clearly had doubts over his fitness.
Instead, the Belgian was forced to sit in the dugout and watch Kai Havertz and Timo Werner start up front. And Tuchel, who signed Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5million last summer, was blunt in his assessment of the 28-year-old’s situation when asked about his absence from his starting XI.
