“Looked like he wanted to show the manager” – Glenn Hoddle believes Chelsea star has ‘proved’ himself after Aston Villa win

Glenn Hoddle has heaped praise on Chelsea ace Romelu Lukaku, stating the Belgian has proven his worth in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Hoddle believes Lukaku’s match-winning performance against Villa will make Thomas Tuchel play him more in the coming weeks.

Having missed the last two Premier League games due to COVID-19, Romelu Lukaku returned to the Chelsea bench on Sunday night. Tuchel decided to keep him on the bench in the first half but could not do without him in the second 45.

With the scoreline level at 1-1, Lukaku was introduced against Aston Villa and he took only ten minutes to prove himself useful. The 28-year-old thumped home from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross in the 56th minute to give Chelsea the lead.

He won the Blues a penalty as well in injury time, which was put away expertly by Jorginho. Chelsea came back with a 3-1 win and Lukaku got the confidence he needed to end the year on a high.

Former England international Hoddle has claimed that Lukaku was a man on a mission and only wanted to prove himself to his coach.

Discussing Lukaku’s performance, Hoddle told the Premier League channel:

“He wanted the ball every single time. He was making runs when it wasn’t really realistic that the ball was going to come. But he looked eager, he looked like he wanted to show the manager ‘now I’m ready’. And he went and proved it.”

Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League after 19 rounds of fixtures. They trail league leaders Manchester City by six points.

N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva doubtful for Chelsea’s clash against Brighton and Hove Albion

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea return to Premier League action on 29th of December against Brighton & Hove Albion. While the reigning European champions are the favorites to get all three points, it is unlikely to be as straightforward as many expect.

As per Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has a knee injury and might not recover in time for the match against Brighton. Thiago Silva is also doubtful for the match, as the veteran defender is yet to fully recover from his hamstring discomfort. Tuchel, however, has assured he will find the best playing XI and will do his best to end 2021 on a high.