"You need to be patient"-Didier Drogba says Chelsea star needs to 'accept all the criticism' and look to improve his game

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba believes striker Romelu Lukaku "needs to be patient" as the Belgian is currently going through a rough patch.

Lukaku joined the Blues from Inter Milan for a club-record fee of £97.5 million last summer. However, the 28-year-old has struggled to have the desired impact thus far during his second spell with the Blues.

Lukaku was widely considered one of the world's best strikers prior to his move last summer. He almost single-handedly led Inter Milan to the club's first Serie A title in 11 years, scoring 24 goals in 36 matches in the league.

He has, however, looked a shadow of his former self this season, scoring just 10 goals in 27 games in all competitions.

Drogba spoke to The Athletic after Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy on Saturday by defeating Palmeiras in the final. Lukaku scored the first goal in the 2-1 victory.

Drogba said:

"We have been in touch at times. I'm not going to talk to Romelu every day obviously, but he knows what he has to do. He decided to come back to Chelsea, to put himself under a little bit of pressure. But he is there and delivering."

He added:

"I don't need to tell him that [how he can do what he did, recover from similar problems to go on to become a Chelsea legend] because I think he saw that. You need to be patient. As a big player you have to accept all the criticism. You need to go home and think about how you can improve your game and how you can bring something else to the team."

Lukaku had gone five games without a goal prior to finding the back of the net against Al Hilal in the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Romelu Lukaku's return to form is a major boost for Chelsea

Lukaku seems to be returning back to his form gradually

Romelu Lukaku's impressive performances for Chelsea at the FIFA Club World Cup will be a big boost for manager Thomas Tuchel and the club's fans.

The Belgian has managed to score just five goals in 16 Premier League appearances for the Blues this season.

Tuchel will hope the Belgian can replicate his performances from the Club World Cup in the Premier League when they face Crystal Palace. The Blues have managed to win just one of their last five league games.

They currently sit in third place in the Premier League table, seven points behind second-placed Liverpool and 16 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Chelsea's strikers have failed to produce the goods for the club this season. Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have managed to score just three Premier League goals between them this season. The Blues are therefore likely to be heavily reliant on Lukaku's goal-scoring abilities during the second half of the season.