Azpilicueta makes Lukaku prediction after Tuchel's Champions League snub

Romelu Lukaku will ‘show his ability straight away’ and be a key player for Chelsea over the rest of the season, believes Cesar Azpilicueta, despite the striker being dropped in the Champions League this week.

Lukaku was left on the bench for the entire game as the Blues beat Lille 2-0 in the first leg of their last 16 tie at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Thomas Tuchel suggested Lukaku had been showing fatigue after his historically ineffective performance against Crystal Palace at the weekend, although reports state that the Belgian felt he was fit to play.

Chelsea play Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday and Lukaku hopes to be recalled to the team, although there is no guarantee of that after Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic scored in the win over Lille.

Azpilicueta has backed him, though, and feels the big-money summer signing will prove his worth in the near future.

‘We can’t forget Romelu is a very important player for us – at the Club World Cup, he scored two goals, one in the semi-final and one in the final,’ Azpilicueta told football.London.

‘In the last game, the team performance maybe was not our greatest but we won and we want to improve our game. Romelu, I have no doubts, is an important player for us.

‘The manager made the decision [against Lille] to have him on the bench and play other players, but he will be the first one who will want to show his qualities and I don’t doubt he will be a key player for us.

‘Romelu will show his ability straight away, of course’

Reports in Italy state that Lukaku is desperate to leave Chelsea and return to Inter Milan, even willing to take a pay cut to do so.

Gazzetta dello Sport claim that he is even in contact with some of Inter’s directors as he looks to