Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Scott Trotter

What happened to Romelu Lukaku as Andreas Christensen absent for Denmark ahead of Chelsea exit

The domestic season is over after an intensive season for Chelsea who racked up 63 matches over the course of 2021/22. Nevertheless, the work is just beginning at Stamford Bridge following the completion of the club's takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Contracts have been extended, meetings are underway and after months of stagnation under the special operating licence, things are firmly back underway with the likes of the Blues' megastore back open. There is little time to bask in the changes however, with much of the Blues squad already on international duty, and those in the Chelsea hierarchy having to catch up the ground they may have lost in the transfer market.

While it would be understandable for the likes of Thomas Tuchel and co to be in dire need of a holiday this summer, the German coach wasn't even considering it in the immediate aftermath of the season. Both for personal and work reasons.

READ MORE: Confirmed departure and a Thomas Tuchel meeting - the transfer status of Chelsea's loan army

Tuchel said following the final game of the season: "No, it's impossible. Cannot go on holiday, no. There are too many things to clarify and give an opinion. Of course, nowadays, you can have meetings on Zoom so it's not necessary to do everything in person. The first days I will be here anyway and around because my children are in school, so it will start with a bit of a delay to the holidays.

"But even in holidays, it's also normal in a situation like ours, that you stay in contact and you have the possibility with Zoom and Facetime to have calls, share opinions and move forward because we need to."

There is little let-up for any member of the Chelsea set up before returning for pre-season on July 2nd and football.london takes a look what has happened to Blues' stars during the international break and beyond so far.

Wednesday

Poland 1-2 Wales - Ethan Ampadu stayed on the Wales bench during the friendly, but it is expected he will play a role against Ukraine as the nation look to earn their place in the World Cup. The 21-year-old was asked about his future ahead of the clash and provided a diplomatic response.

The Venezia loanee said: "As a footballer, you want to play in every game, and as a kid, I loved playing every game," he said. "It does help on big occasions [playing week in and week out], but week by week, you want to play football. No one likes to sit and watch it."

Norway U19s 2-3 Ukraine - Bryan Fiabema provided an assist in his 90 minute display despite falling to defeat.

Italy 0-3 Argentina - Jorginho played the whole match, while Emerson Palmieri played 77 minutes in the Finalissima, in which Lionel Messi praised the impact of the former. The Chelsea duo both departed Italy's camp following the comprehensive defeat.

Scotland 1-3 Ukraine - Billy Gilmour played 68 minutes in the loss as Scotland failed to progress in their ambition to qualify for the World Cup.

Ghana 3-0 Madagascar - Baba Rahman provided an assist while completing 90 minutes for Ghana following his loan at Reading.

USA 3-0 Morocco - Christian Pulisic played 65 minutes on his way to providing an outstanding assist for the USA and earning a penalty. The 23-year-old was also asked about his future with the Blues.

He said: "As far as right now, I'm obviously just focused on what I'm doing here [on international duty] and I'm super excited to be here.

"Of course, I want to get more playing time. I want to be on the field as much as I can and be the sharpest I can be and fit as well. I think I still got a lot of games. But it's always something that I'm working at and trying to be regular at club level as well to put myself in the best position to be fit when I come here with my national team."

Thursday

South Korea 1-5 Brazil - Thiago Silva played the whole match in the win.

Spain 1-1 Portugal - Cesar Azpilicueta completed 90 minutes while Marcos Alonso remained on the bench for Luis Enrique's side.

Friday

Northern Ireland U21s 0-6 Spain - Sam McClelland played 90 minutes in the defeat.

Austria 2-3 Finland U21s - Lucas Bergstrom was an unused sub.

Belgium 1-4 Netherlands - Romelu Lukaku could only manage 27 minutes as a collision with Nathan Ake saw the Belgian striker fall awkwardly on his ankle, in a concerning moment. Michy Batshuayi was able to score a late consolation for Roberto Martinez's side.

Amid plenty of speculation Martinez has commented on the future of Lukaku. He said: "We have not spoken about his future, but what is certain is that he really wanted to come back and play for the national team. I haven’t spoken to Romelu about his future, but he will handle the situation well because it is not the first time it has happened to him in his career."

Croatia 0-3 Austria - Mateo Kovacic captained his side before being substituted in the 71st minute as Croatia fell to defeat.

France vs Denmark - N'Golo Kante started his side's defence of the Nations League trophy alongside potential targets Aurelian Tchouameni and Jules Kounde but France fell to a 2-1 defeat. Andreas Christensen was absent from the Denmark squad for the match, as he remained at home with his girlfriend soon expected to give birth.

Saturday's fixtures

15:00 - Netherlands vs Norway U19s (Bryan Fiabema)
17:00 - Norway vs England U17s (Leo Castledine, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Zain Silcott-Duberry)
17:00 - Hungary vs England (Reece James, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher)
19:45 - Italy vs Germany: (Kai Havertz, Timo Werner)
20:00 - Senegal vs Benin (Edouard Mendy)

Updates on players not on international duty

Callum Hudson-Odoi - The 21-year-old has alread been at Cobham undergoing solo training sessions in a bid to work back to fitness in time to join Chelsea on their pre-season tour of the US, after Achilles issues hampered the end of his season.

Ross Barkley - Despite struggling for playing time, Barkley is never one to shy away from putting in the work during international breaks. On this occasion the former Everton star is at The Campus in Portugal to train ahead of another summer with his future up in the air.

Kepa Arrizabalaga - Much like teammate Mason Mount, the Spanish goalkeeper enjoyed some time at the Monaco grand prix.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.