"People who criticize him have a short memory" - Patrice Evra defends 'misunderstood' 28-year-old Chelsea star
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has jumped to the defense of beleaguered Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian made a sensational return to Stamford Bridge last summer on a staggering £97.5 million transfer from Inter Milan. However, he has endured a troubled spell since then.
Although he scored in his first game back, Lukaku has struggled to find consistency. His comments during an interview with Sky Italia in December also sparked tensions between him and the club. The 28-year-old forward expressed his desire to return to Inter and also appeared to criticize Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel's tactics
With ankle injuries and COVID-19 also sidelining him from some fixtures, Lukaku has struck only 12 times from 36 games in all competitions this season. Only five of those goals have come in the Premier League.
Romelu Lukaku will forever be one of the biggest flops in Premier League history. Just embarrassing.
An absolutely shocking miss from a man worth over 100 million.
Lukaku is now widely deemed a flop. However, Evra believes the striker is just misunderstood. Speaking to Prime Video, the former Manchester United defender said:
“People who criticize him have a short memory. Because when he arrived in London he scored and did well; then he got injured and said he missed Inter.
“In the end, he created a bit of a mess with the [Chelsea] fans.”
Two highly successful years with the Nerazzurri reinstated Lukaku as one of the best players in his position.
However, Evra feels the player's decision to seek a new challenge at his former club was a mistake. He explained:
“He wanted to return to Chelsea at all costs, he should have stayed at Inter after such a high-level season.
“He made that choice there which for me is wrong.”
Lukaku has only started twice for the Blues since March, with Kai Havertz keeping him on the bench with a great run of form.
Given his exorbitant wages, it's not feasible for the club to keep him as a back-up striker either.
Romelu Lukaku's future at Chelsea is up in the air
Romelu Lukaku is once again the subject of transfer speculation after everything that's happened since his Chelsea return.
Although his contract runs until June 2026, some experts say he doesn't have a future at the club.
Romelu Lukaku v Kai Havertz 👀
A real headache for Thomas Tuchel 🤔
Who should be Chelsea's no. 9?
#PL #OptusSport https://t.co/a1aW2ebkPS
With Tuchel also preferring Havertz over him, there's clearly a lack of trust. Lukaku didn't help his situation with a wasteful display against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals either. The Belgian came on as a second-half substitute in the first leg of the tie, but failed to make an impact as the Blues fell 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Lukaku missed a clear scoring chance during his time on the pitch, glacing a free header wide of the target.
The striker has vowed not to make any snap decisions on his future at Stamford Bridge following the setbacks. However, questions remain about what his future at the club will look like under the current manager.