Chelsea FC waiting on Romelu Lukaku scan after thigh injury on Belgium duty

Romelu Lukaku will have a scan on his thigh before returning early to Chelsea from Belgium duty.

The £97.5million striker was booked during his country’s 3-0 win against Czech Republic on Sunday night, ruling him out of their next World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Wednesday.

That means he will be free to head back to Cobham ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday.

While that is good news for Thomas Tuchel, the 28-year-old revealed a slight injury concern.

“I’ll have a scan of my thigh first,” he said. “I am struggling with a minor issue for a while. And then I will return to Chelsea.”

Lukaku extended his record as Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with his 67th goal for his country as he picked up his 100th cap.

Manager Roberto Martinez hailed his achievements over the weekend, saying: “I think he is a living iconic figure of Belgian football. One hundred caps, 66 goals, at his age. He has a phenomenal attitude.

“I hope he can go onto 125 or maybe 150 caps. Sometimes you take for granted what we have. These players don’t come often.”

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