Tuchel refusing to give up on Lukaku: It's a matter of pride

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel is refusing to give up on Romelu Lukaku and tells Sky Sports it is a matter of pride for him to get the striker back to his goalscoring best at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku finds himself as an understudy to Kai Havertz up front less than nine months after becoming Chelsea's most expensive signing ever in the summer after re-joining from Inter Milan for £97.5m.

The former Manchester United and Everton striker has managed just five goals in 20 appearances on his return to the Premier League - he has never finished a campaign in England with less than 12.

But Tuchel has faith that he and Lukaku, Belgium's record goalscorer, can find a formula to reignite the 28-year-old's career in west London.

"It is pride for me and it should hopefully also be pride for him - and it is I guess," Tuchel told Sky Sports News.

"This is how we feel, we feel things getting personal then if we don't get it right and I feel it with any player. If we cannot get the best out of a player for the team it feels, personally for me I feel it and I don't want to have that feeling so.

"You never give up on players, you never give in, and I think Romelu is such a competitor that he feels the same and he behaves in the same way."

Tuchel refused to pull any punches when assessing Lukaku's performances over the past few weeks ahead of the visit of Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.

The German admits injuries have played a role in Lukaku's failure to meet expectations, but says he requires some fortune or momentum to galvanise his performances.

"All he needs is that spark," Tuchel said at his news conference on Tuesday. "He maybe would've been a natural starter against Crystal Palace given the minutes