Lukaku ready to take Torres’ spot permanently

It would be understandable if Fernando Torres was feeling the nerves as Chelsea arrived in the USA for their second pre-season tour of the summer earlier today.
For not only are Chelsea refusing to give up their attempts to sign Wayne Rooney, but Romelu Lukaku is already proving he is fighting fit to take the Spanish international’s place in the first XI.
While Torres has been enjoying extended time off after playing in the Confederations Cup, Lukaku has been making the most of his opportunity to show to everyone at the club that he is now in shape to lead the front-line.
Four goals in three friendly games so far are impressive stats alone, but it is the stronger, slimmer figure he possesses which is sparking belief among his team-mates that he is ready to make the grade at Stamford Bridge.
That certainly was not the case when he joined up with Torres and the rest of the Chelsea players for the first time a couple of years ago following his £18m transfer from Anderlecht.
Then manager Andre Villas-Boas was not impressed with his chunky frame or his touch and he spent much of the campaign in the reserves, eventually making his first League start in the final League game of the season under Roberto Di Matteo.
Many credit West Brom, where he spent last season on loan, for being solely responsible for turning his career around as he went on to score 17 League goals.
But Lukaku has revealed it was the change of diet that Chelsea gave him 12 months ago that has made the difference to his game.
In an interview on Belgium TV earlier this summer, he said: “For an entire year at Chelsea I weighed 101 KG. My chest was muscles with fat underneath. Now it’s just muscle.
“They (Chelsea) told me (about my weight in the first year), but I barely played. I played once every two months in a manner of speaking. I always gained a little weight and then they said ‘Romelu have three days off’.
“I thought to myself ‘I’m going back to Brussels’. I live there in Molenbeek – my parents live there. On the other side of the road was a pita bar, tasty!
“When I returned last year during pre-season with Kevin (De Bruyne) and Eden (Hazard), Chelsea did body screenings. I told them to give me a five month programme, I knew I was going to be sent out on loan. I wanted to be fit again.
“I got a salad diet and other things. I have lots of water daily now, no soft drinks any more. It has paid off. I weighed 101kg and 10 per cent was fat and now I weigh 96kg with six per cent fat.”
Lukaku has a different hunger these days and that is to avoid a repeat of the year he spent being a virtual spectator at Chelsea.
One of the first things new manager Jose Mourinho did after his arrival was to contact the 20-year-old before pre-season training began on July 8 to reassure him of his importance to the squad.
But Lukaku is taking nothing for granted and added: “I’m realistic, but I don’t want to stop my development like I did the first year. It was a hard lesson and a realistic one.
“I left the biggest club in Belgium where you  play games, score every week and play for your family, your parents. Then you arrive in London, a top city and top club, but sit in the stands all week, like a fan. I don’t want that feeling again.
“Sure you can train with these top players but at some point you want to play. Yes I do want a starting position but that’s normal.
“It was my turn then to work hard and start from scratch again at West Brom, to look at my negative points and improve my game.
“I am a better player now and I want to be an important figure for this club. I am very young but am also very ambitious. I want to play as much as I can but it’s up to me.”
Torres will have something to say about that as Chelsea play four matches in the USA, but the battle for who starts the first League game against Hull on August 18 is now on.