"I'll hold my hands up" - Charlie Austin admits he has changed his mind on Chelsea player who was brilliant last season

Former Premier League striker Charlie Austin has conceded that he was wrong when he said Romelu Lukaku was the man Chelsea needed.

The Blues re-signed Lukaku from Serie A champions Inter Milan for £97.5 million last summer. Thomas Tuchel's side were hopeful that the 28-year-old could establish himself as a regular goalscorer and help them compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title.

Lukaku returned to London following an exceptional season with Inter Milan. He scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists from 44 appearances across all competitions for the Italian giants while also helping them win Serie A.

However, the Belgium international has struggled to replicate his Inter Milan form at Chelsea. He has found the back of the net just 12 times in 39 matches this term, with three of them coming in the FA Cup.

Austin previously felt Lukaku was the missing piece in Tuchel's Chelsea team. However, he has now admitted that his opinion on the center-forward has drastically changed in the last few months. He said on TalkSPORT:

"I'm not sure [what will happen with Lukaku], I was a big [fan of his]. I'll hold my hands up, the back end of the last year I was saying 'He is the man Chelsea need, he is the missing piece. But now, I don't know."

Lukaku had an opportunity to add to his goalscoring tally in Chelsea's 2-0 win against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals this month. However, the striker saw his shot hit the post.

Austin went on to comment on the striker's performance at Wembley. He said:

"You just want them to hit you and go in because when you're on fire, you don't think. That comes across, that's a goal. If he had 20 goals now, that goes in. I know that probably sounds stupid to a lot of people, but that is what it is."

Lukaku has a contract with the Blues until the end of the 2025-26 season. It remains to be seen if he can turn things around at Stamford Bridge before the Blues give up on him.

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Explosive interview affected Lukaku's reputation at Chelsea

Five months into his second spell at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku had an interview with Sky Italia in which he expressed his frustration with his situation at the club. The Belgian also criticized Tuchel's tactics.

It would not be wrong to say that the interview dealt a heavy blow to the striker's reputation at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku even had to issue an apology to Blues fans as a consequence.