Romelu Lukaku is not looked back on too fondly by Chelsea fans after his time in West London, however his World Cup goal vs Senegal may be thanked quietly by new manager Xabi Alonso.
Belgium, who went into the tournament without Chelsea star Romeo Lavia in their squad, survived going two goals behind against Senegal to advance to the Round of 16.
Former Chelsea star Lukaku was crucial in his side turning things around, scoring late in normal time to keep the Red Devils alive, and eventually send Nicolas Jackson and Mamadou Sarr home.
Who will be a bigger success – Enzo Maresca or Xabi Alonso? 🤔
City have confirmed Maresca will replace Guardiola.
Romelu Lukaku has helped send Nicolas Jackson back to Chelsea earlier in World Cup win
Both didn’t start the Round of 32 clash, but Alonso will be thankful that Jackson will be leaving North America early.
After not being signed permanently by Bayern Munich, Chelsea are reportedly open to the prospect of Jackson being integrated back into their first team squad.
Chelsea admire Jackson’s versatility to play across the attack, and Alonso will no doubt be wanting to see him up close to determine whether he sees a place for him in his side.
Pre-season gets underway in Australia at the end of this month, and a long break could see him fit and replenished in time to make an impact for the Blues.
If Alonso decides he is not the man for his Chelsea side, the striker market has left plenty of options available should they decide to reinvest to provide competition for Joao Pedro.
Enzo Fernandez needs to leave Chelsea for the good of the club 👋🏻
Thoughts?
The Spaniard needs to make a call on Jackson’s future soon so the Blues cannot miss out on potential targets, and his early World Cup exit will allow him that.
Jackson’s time at the World Cup has in part been brought to an end by one of the most unpopular players to come through in West London
There will still be hope for the Senegal star that he can not go down the same road despite already spending a spell out on loan, and there is still a future for him at Chelsea under Alonso.
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