"It is not a personal thing for me" - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel not ready to guarantee Romelu Lukaku return

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel shed light on the precarious situation involving Romelu Lukaku, whose comments on the German manager and former club Inter Milan caused quite the stir on social media. The Belgian striker was sanctioned for his actions and was subsequently dropped for the Premier League encounter against Liverpool.

When quizzed on the subject after Chelsea's 2-2 draw against the Reds at Stamford Bridge (quotes via The Guardian), Tuchel spoke at length and affirmed that he would do the right thing for all parties involved.

“He’s our player, he will stay our player, we will always protect our player. First we need to evaluate the situations, not listen to media or pressure, understand what he said and why he said it.

“Then we will take the decision if he is good to go for Wednesday. I cannot tell you right now because we need to talk and understand the situation more and on we go. Once the situation is clear he will stay our player and we protect our player.”

While Tuchel indicated that he wouldn't make any rash decisions on the striker, he also indicated that the timing of Lukaku's interview affected Chelsea's preparation for the crucial Premier League encounter with Liverpool.

“I don’t take decisions in my office. I have players to listen to and hear their opinions about what they think and I make my decisions once I hear them out. It’s their club and their team. It’s not a personal thing for me.

“It’s not Chelsea like but it’s also not the worst thing in the world. I don’t feel personally attacked. On Saturday new statements appeared and it got too big, too much noise, and we lost the focus of the match."

Tuchel says Lukaku's comments caused 'too much noise' ahead of Chelsea vs Liverpool

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Premier League

Chelsea were undoubtedly the better side in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge as they rose to the occasion without their star striker. Understandably, Lukaku was the talk of the town, with Tuchel facing a handful of questions on the 29-year-old after the game on Sunday.

The German manager defended his decision to drop Lukaku and claimed that his comments created 'too much noise' before an important game.

“We wanted to protect Romelu from a rash decision because we need to speak with him, read the full interview and stay calm. It was simply the decision to protect the match like this. It was too much noise. This was clear that he will not be in the squad.”

Lukaku's Chelsea tenure has turned a bit sour after a promising start and it remains to be seen how the situation will be resolved in the days ahead.