Norwich City manager Daniel Farke was full of praise for Romelu Lukaku and compared the Chelsea striker to Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of how he prepares for every game.
Farke initially spoke about Todd Cantwell’s absence for Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
He argued that having recently missed a lot of training sessions, the versatile winger still needs time to be “ready for the battles at the Premier League level” again.
Interestingly, Farke used Lukaku and Ronaldo as references when speaking about how players should prepare themselves for each game.
“There is a difference between being available or not injured and being fully ready for this intense battle,” the German said in his press conference on Friday (via The PinkUn).
“At this level, you have to be in top shape and be prepared mentally and physically.
“When I think about [Cristiano] Ronaldo, for example.
“When you speak to people who have worked with him, [they’d tell you that] he is the hardest worker on the pitch. First in, last out at training.
“[He] looks after himself and his body. Unbelievably prepared.
“[Or] Lukaku and how he made that final step to be a £100million striker.
“Everyone is speaking that he is a real athlete right now, working so hard for his team and at training.
“So even the best players in the world can’t afford to show up at just 98 percent at this level.”
Lukaku out of next two games for Chelsea due to ankle injury
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that the Belgium international, along with Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic, will not be available on Saturday.
Farke, however, insisted that Chelsea will not lack firepower despite Lukaku’s absence considering the other options they have at their disposal, including “world-class” Kai Havertz.