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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has conceded that Romelu Lukaku's return to Stamford Bridge has not gone to plan so far.
The Blues re-signed Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club-record £97.5 million last summer. While the Belgium international's arrival excited Chelsea fans, he has so far failed to live up to the hype.
Lukaku has managed to score just 12 goals from 36 appearances across all competitions for the London giants. His poor run of form has also seen him lose his place in Tuchel's preferred starting eleven.
The 28-year-old added to his woes when he missed a good chance to score for Chelsea in their 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday. Lukaku came on as a second-half substitute for the Blues and had the opportunity to reduce the goal difference to one, but failed to take it.
Tuchel has now admitted that Chelsea's 'marriage' with Lukaku has not gone well so far. However, the German believes the centre-forward has what it takes to turn things around at Stamford Bridge. He was quoted as saying by GOAL:
"We can't blame Romelu. Among other things, he entered at 3-1 [down], even if he then missed a good chance. Lukaku didn't destabilize us. He is a professional and recently trained very well. We bought [him] because we believed and still believe in him. Of course, the marriage hasn't gone well so far. We have to admit it. But it's not over – in football everything can change in an instant."
The Blues face Southampton at St. Mary's in the Premier League later today. It remains to be seen if Lukaku, who has not started for the side in the league since Februrary, will be in Tuchel's lineup. He missed training on Thursday due to Achilles pain.
Darren Bent urges Chelsea to start Lukaku against Real Madrid
The Blues will look to turn things around when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-finals. The two sides will meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Looking ahead to the game, former Premier League striker Darren Bent suggested that Chelsea should start Lukaku in Madrid. He said:
"[Mateo] Kovacic has got to play from the start [against Madrid]. I would even throw in Lukaku from the start."
It is unclear whether Tuchel has plans to start Lukaku against Los Blancos on Tuesday.
