Lukaku very close to return, Chelsea boss Tuchel says

Romelu Lukaku will not feature in Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Leicester on Saturday but is “very close” to returning from injury, according to head coach Thomas Tuchel.

Saturday will mark a full month since the striker injured his ankle during a Champions League game against Malmo, in what was his 11th appearance of the season after re-joining Chelsea in a club-record £97.5m deal over the summer.

Tuchel said Lukaku could return for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Juventus or next weekend’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United.

“Romelu is very close to team training, so hopefully he will join the squad on Sunday. Let’s see how this works out,” Tuchel said on Friday.

“He’s pushing hard and trying hard to come back as soon as possible and we will try on Sunday.

“If everything works out perfectly, if he is in training on Sunday and then on Monday he can maybe join the group on the bench (against Juventus).

“But there are a lot of ifs and I don’t want to put pressure on him. He’s putting a lot of pressure on himself and we will not rush things.”

Lukaku has three goals in seven league appearances for Chelsea this season.