Never mind the possible arrival of Wayne Rooney, it seems Fernando Torres may have serious competition emerging in the shape of Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker is developing fast, scoring for the second time in two pre-season games as Chelsea beat a Malaysia XI 4-1 yesterday, and Jose Mourinho insisted he would not be afraid to start the season with Lukaku leading the line.
'Of course,' said Mourinho, when asked if he can seriously challenge Torres and Demba Ba, who replaced Lukaku at half-time in Kuala Lumpur. 'It’s up to the kid, but he’s open and intelligent enough to learn the kind of movement we want.'
Next main man? Romelu Lukaku has impressed Jose Mourinho in Chelsea's pre-season friendlies, so much so he could be set to start up front for the opening fixtures of the Premier League season
'He played the role with the right movement. We don’t want the striker just aiming between the central defenders, but making movements, sometimes between the midfield or moving wide.
'They’re learning to play the way I want. Every manager has his own ideas. Lukaku had a fantastic manager last season in Steve Clarke but Steve is Steve, I am me, and West Brom is not Chelsea.'
There are striking similarities between Lukaku and his hero Didier Drogba, the spearhead of Mourinho’s first Chelsea team, so he can be certain he has the qualities his manager likes to see in a centre-forward.
Torres cannot be and Mourinho has already voiced his concern that the £50million Spaniard is not so effective when the pitch is congested and there is no space to attack behind defenders.
Role model: Lukaku is an imposing centre forward, just like ex-Blues legend Dider Drogba (right)
Tough man to impress: Jose Mourinho has been delighted by Lukaku's progress
Lukaku, however, is still only 20 and Mourinho is reluctant to burden him with expectation: 'We have to respect Didier because he is unique in Chelsea’s history and we have to respect Lukaku,' said the manager.
'The best way to do that is not compare him to a legend in Chelsea's history. Leave Didier where he is, at the top of Chelsea's history, and leave Lukaku to work hard. The kid is good.'
Ba will start on Thursday in the final game of this Asian tour against an Indonesia XI. Torres is yet to join the squad after extended international duty at the Confederations Cup.
Chelsea survived an injury scare as they won in Malaysia, with Kevin de Bruyne carried off after hurting his right knee as he converted the second goal of the night.
De Bruyne, another of those who has impressed on tour, left the pitch with head in hands but early medical reports suggested it was not as bad as feared.
'Everyone on the bench thought the worst,' said Mourinho. 'The first assessment by the doctor is that it is not ligaments for sure and, if it’s something in the meniscus, it has to be a very small injury. So we believe it’s not an important injury.
'Hopefully it isn’t because the kid is a fantastic player and showing to you match after match, and showing to me in training, that he’s going to be a good player and a key man on the pitch.'
Competition: Lukaku's emergence is bad news for strikers Demba Ba (left) and Fernando Torres (right)
Unfortunate: Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne's fine right footed finish resulted in him colliding with the defender and he was subsequently stretchered off the field
Impressive: Lukaku congratulates 17-year-old trialist Traore, who has caught the eye in Asia
De Bruyne later tweeted: 'Knee and ankle feeling ok for the moment. Always stay positive. Waiting for tomorrow. Then we will know more. Thanks for all the messages.'
The Belgian winger made the first of the game for Bertrand Traore. Lukaku added the third and Victor Moses scored the fourth before the Malaysians pulled one back.
Traore is a 17-year-old midfielder and a full international for Burkina Faso who is on trial because he only has a student visa and cannot sign a contract until he is 18 in September and thus cannot apply for a work permit.
'Those are the rules and we have to accept them,' said Mourinho. 'We want to keep him. We’ll have to wait until he becomes 18 to try to get the permit for him to stay in England.
'If it’s not possible we have to let him go on loan somewhere but we have the guarantee that he plays for his national team. For a 17-year-old boy, sooner or later, the committee has to give him a permit to play in England.
'If he has to go on loan somewhere, he has to go, but if he’s playing for his country – one of the most important countries in African football – he’ll get his deserved permit. So, no dramas.'
The Belgian striker is developing fast, scoring for the second time in two pre-season games as Chelsea beat a Malaysia XI 4-1 yesterday, and Jose Mourinho insisted he would not be afraid to start the season with Lukaku leading the line.
'Of course,' said Mourinho, when asked if he can seriously challenge Torres and Demba Ba, who replaced Lukaku at half-time in Kuala Lumpur. 'It’s up to the kid, but he’s open and intelligent enough to learn the kind of movement we want.'
Next main man? Romelu Lukaku has impressed Jose Mourinho in Chelsea's pre-season friendlies, so much so he could be set to start up front for the opening fixtures of the Premier League season
'They’re learning to play the way I want. Every manager has his own ideas. Lukaku had a fantastic manager last season in Steve Clarke but Steve is Steve, I am me, and West Brom is not Chelsea.'
There are striking similarities between Lukaku and his hero Didier Drogba, the spearhead of Mourinho’s first Chelsea team, so he can be certain he has the qualities his manager likes to see in a centre-forward.
Torres cannot be and Mourinho has already voiced his concern that the £50million Spaniard is not so effective when the pitch is congested and there is no space to attack behind defenders.
Role model: Lukaku is an imposing centre forward, just like ex-Blues legend Dider Drogba (right)
Tough man to impress: Jose Mourinho has been delighted by Lukaku's progress
'The best way to do that is not compare him to a legend in Chelsea's history. Leave Didier where he is, at the top of Chelsea's history, and leave Lukaku to work hard. The kid is good.'
Ba will start on Thursday in the final game of this Asian tour against an Indonesia XI. Torres is yet to join the squad after extended international duty at the Confederations Cup.
Chelsea survived an injury scare as they won in Malaysia, with Kevin de Bruyne carried off after hurting his right knee as he converted the second goal of the night.
De Bruyne, another of those who has impressed on tour, left the pitch with head in hands but early medical reports suggested it was not as bad as feared.
'Everyone on the bench thought the worst,' said Mourinho. 'The first assessment by the doctor is that it is not ligaments for sure and, if it’s something in the meniscus, it has to be a very small injury. So we believe it’s not an important injury.
'Hopefully it isn’t because the kid is a fantastic player and showing to you match after match, and showing to me in training, that he’s going to be a good player and a key man on the pitch.'
Competition: Lukaku's emergence is bad news for strikers Demba Ba (left) and Fernando Torres (right)
Unfortunate: Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne's fine right footed finish resulted in him colliding with the defender and he was subsequently stretchered off the field
Impressive: Lukaku congratulates 17-year-old trialist Traore, who has caught the eye in Asia
The Belgian winger made the first of the game for Bertrand Traore. Lukaku added the third and Victor Moses scored the fourth before the Malaysians pulled one back.
Traore is a 17-year-old midfielder and a full international for Burkina Faso who is on trial because he only has a student visa and cannot sign a contract until he is 18 in September and thus cannot apply for a work permit.
'Those are the rules and we have to accept them,' said Mourinho. 'We want to keep him. We’ll have to wait until he becomes 18 to try to get the permit for him to stay in England.
'If it’s not possible we have to let him go on loan somewhere but we have the guarantee that he plays for his national team. For a 17-year-old boy, sooner or later, the committee has to give him a permit to play in England.
'If he has to go on loan somewhere, he has to go, but if he’s playing for his country – one of the most important countries in African football – he’ll get his deserved permit. So, no dramas.'
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