Thomas Tuchel Makes Honest Admission Regarding Romelu Lukaku's Chelsea Fitness After Aston Villa Goal – Sports Illustrated
Thomas Tuchel has made a surprise revelation regarding Romelu Lukaku's fitness levels after he played 45 minutes against Aston Villa, declaring he was not ready.
The Belgian put in a performance of the highest quality, being named Man of the Match as he scored and won a penalty in the 3-1 victory.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Tuchel surprised many by declaring that Lukaku was not fit to play 45 minutes.
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He said: "It is not fair today. He had a very good performance today and he was very helpful. It's not fair. He is not ready for that, even if he wants it."
Lukaku returned to the squad after only training twice for Chelsea since returning from an isolation period after testing positive for Covid-19.
"We have all been 10 days with flu in bed," Tuchel continued. "I did not play two days later a match at Villa Park. We do not know what happens for that, nobody knows. Okay, he was a game changer today. We are super happy, super impressed with the guys. I am super concerned."
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This comes after Lukaku admitted that he believed he was ready to play stating that 'the manager has his reasons' for not playing him.
"I think I needed a performance like this today. It's been difficult. Every footballer wants to be on the pitch. The manager has his reasons but I kept working hard." he said.
It remains to be seen as to whether Tuchel believes Lukaku will be fit enough to start against Brighton on Wednesday as the Blues enter another must win match.
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