"He has been involved in straight-line running" - Injury expert provides update on Chelsea superstar Romelu Lukaku's fitness

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has backed Romelu Lukaku to feature for Chelsea when the Blues take on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea have a tough away trip to the Foxes right after the international break, but are expected to have a fully fit Romelu Lukaku for the clash.

Dinnery revealed Lukaku has been training with the main group, so he should be able to get some minutes if not start against Leicester come the weekend.

“I would absolutely think he’ll be back this weekend. I know he has been involved in straight-line running. We don’t know whether there have been any explosive or dynamic movements, however. Those are the moments when you have a true idea of how that ankle will cope. But I don’t think there is too much to worry about,” Dinnery told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.

“Thomas Tuchel has always said he was targetting game week 12. That has always been the plan. There were discussions before the international break about whether he could join up with Belgium. Obviously, the decision was taken not to do that. But everything has aligned now and I would think he will be back in the matchday squad on Saturday,” he added.

The Belgian has missed the Blues' last three Premier League outings after injuring his ankle during their Champions League win over Malmo.

Chelsea will hope Lukaku fires ahead of crunch period

Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley just before the international break, and will hope to bounce back against Leicester City.

Chelsea created numerous openings against Burnley, but could not take their chances as they missed Lukaku’s finishing prowess.

The Belgian’s injury could, however, turn out to be a boon in some ways, as Thomas Tuchel had revealed before the international break that Lukaku needed a break.

Lukaku has failed to score in his last four Premier League games, with his last goal coming way back in early September against Aston Villa.

Chelsea and Tuchel will hope the forward is back rejuvenated as the Blues have some big games coming up in late November and December.