Florent Malouda has urged Chelsea fans to be patient with Romelu Lukaku and has claimed that if given time he could become a club legend like Didier Drogba.
Expectations were high when the Blues spent a club record £97.5 million to sign the 28-year-old from Inter Milan last summer, but the Belgium striker has struggled in his first season back at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku has scored 10 goals in 28 appearances this term and was at the centre of controversy after admitting in an interview with Sky Italia that he was unhappy with his lack of game time at Chelsea and that he harboured hopes of a return to former club Inter Milan in the future.
He was also in the headlines for the wrong reasons after only managing seven touches in 90 minutes during the Blues’ 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday, which resulted in him being dropped for their 2-0 Champions League win over Lille.
However, former Chelsea winger Malouda believes that Lukaku is even more talented than Drogba, and if given time can emulate his legendary achievements at the club.
“One of the main qualities that Drogba had was his resilience and I think Romelu has this quality as well," Malouda told Genting Casino.
“In terms of his potential, I think Lukaku is even more talented and gifted than Didier. At 18, Lukaku had already scored 50 goals and now he’s the leader of the Belgium national team.
“Lukaku is exactly the kind of player that we wish to have after Drogba. He is the perfect player to follow him, to follow Diego Costa. Chelsea need him. Chelsea didn’t have a player like him in the team since Costa."
Malouda also backed the Belgium international to rediscover his form in the latter stages of the season, like Drogba often did and urged Chelsea fans to be patient with their club record signing.
He added: “I expect Lukaku to deliver and come good like Didier always did for the remainder of the season.
“The club won the Club World Cup last week. Who scored in the final? Romelu. How many chances did he have? Not many. He scored in the final, which is why Chelsea signed a player like him for a record amount of money, and he is paying that back.
“Of course, people will always speak about how he didn’t touch many balls and everything, but for him the most important thing is to be resilient and to focus on the opportunities he will have to prove himself.
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"Didier was the same. When we won the Champions League, people have to look at the numbers, he did not play in many games. For Didier, that was a really difficult season, but every time, he showed up.
“I think any striker must also feel the confidence of the fans and the staff. He wants to feel the love of the fans, that they want him to succeed.
"Strikers can be very sensitive, but that is because they have the most important role in the team: scoring goals.”
