Journalist Paul Brown has revealed that he feels ‘a bit sorry’ for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku following his recent downturn in form.

The 28-year-old has struggled to hit the heights expected of him since making his return to Stamford Bridge via a club-record £97.5 million move from Inter last summer.

What is the latest news involving Lukaku?

Lukaku found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons earlier in the season when he gave a controversial interview to Sky Italia over his time with the Nerazzurri and his frustrations upon arriving back in west London.

The Belgium international revealed that he was ‘not happy with the situation’ he found himself in under Thomas Tuchel before stating that he hopes to ‘return to play’ at San Siro later in his career.

As a result, Lukaku was fined and dropped from the side by Tuchel, but the German tactician disclosed his prized asset was determined to ‘clean up the mess’ caused by his comments.

An apology from the player then followed where he stated the club’s supporters ‘don’t need to question’ his commitment, although while his issues off the pitch may have been resolved, the ones on it are still overtly prevalent.

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The 6 foot 3 ace has registered an underwhelming 10 goals and two assists in 28 appearances for Chelsea to date, and his overall performance levels have also left a lot to be desired.

Lukaku’s struggles were epitomised in his last outing against Crystal Palace where he set a new record for the fewest touches (seven) from a player who's played a full 90 minutes since Opta began recording in 2003/04.

What has Brown said about Lukaku?

Brown reckons that Chelsea ‘definitely not playing to his strengths’, though, and has a lot of sympathy for the marksman at this moment in time.

In an exclusive interview, he told GiveMeSport: “I feel a bit sorry for him (Lukaku) because Chelsea are definitely not playing to his strengths; you can see that in every game.

“He came out and said what he said, but he's been pretty quiet since, and yet you can tell that he's demanding the ball in certain areas, and it's just not coming.”

Why has Lukaku been struggling?

Chelsea were convinced to pay such an astronomical fee for Lukaku after he notched 80 goal contributions in 95 outings for Inter, firing them to the Serie A title last term.

But that prolific record came under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, whose counter-attacking system allowed the powerful forward plenty of space to burst into, leaving him isolated with helpless defenders.

Tuchel, on the other hand, prefers to play a much more refined brand of football, asking his players to operate in tighter spaces and work the ball between the lines, attacking at a slower pace.

Therefore, some of Lukaku’s biggest strengths have been nullified by the tactical setup at Chelsea, limiting his ability to influence proceedings.