Paul Merson thinks that “people will start to wonder if Thomas Tuchel really fancies” Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku if he continues to bench the striker.
The Belgium international has scored five goals in 15 appearances so far this season after his huge £97.5m move from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window.
It was seen as the transfer that would help the Blues move closer to the Premier League title but his impact hasn’t quite been as expected.
Big Midweek: Chelsea v Everton, Pep, Gallagher, West Ham
Lukaku has suffered from an injury in recent weeks and has yet to be given a starting place in Tuchel’s XI since returning to fitness.
And Merson thinks suspicions will be raised if Tuchel continues to leave the 28-year-old out of his starting XI over the next few matches.
Ahead of their match against Everton, Merson told Sportskeeda:”I think this is an easy one to call, so I predict a 3-0 win for Chelsea. Everton are sitting ducks at the moment and I just don’t give them a chance.
“They were fortunate to beat Arsenal and didn’t do anything extraordinary that day, they just showed a lot of heart and scored an absolute peach to win it late in the game.
“If you look at Everton’s Premier League record in recent weeks, it’s been dismal. They’ve only got five points from a possible 30 and are bottom of the table if you only consider results from October.
“The only question for Chelsea is Romelu Lukaku’s situation. He’s clearly back fully fit now, but when is he going to get back into the team? If he stays on the bench for a few more games, people will start to wonder if Thomas Tuchel really fancies him or not.”
Meanwhile, Mason Mount has hailed Chelsea’s “family” atmosphere as the stimulus to the Stamford Bridge club’s Premier League title drive.
“There are a lot of players coming through from the academy at the moment, and we’ve known each other since we were six, seven, eight years old,” said Mount.
“We’re very close friends on and off the pitch. We’ve known each other a very long time and that helps when you have that close bond.
“Along with the other boys as well, we’re definitely like a family; the team is very close together.
“And I think that’s what you need if you want to go far in competitions, if you want to win big things and win the Premier League, and obviously that’s our next goal.”
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