Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has claimed that former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku has nothing to prove when his side face Everton on Wednesday.
Belgian international Lukaku called time on his short career at Stamford Bridge last summer in a £28m move to Merseyside after failing to break into the starting eleven.
Having struggled this season, the former Anderlecht man has scored just 10 goals in 32 appearances this season for Roberto Martinez’s side, but Mourinho insists he has already showed his worth this season.
“No, he doesn’t have a point to prove,” he told reporters when asked about Lukaku. “I think he proves every weekend that he’s a good player.
“Nobody has doubts at Chelsea that he’s a good player. He has nothing to prove to us. He is a difficult opponent. You have to know that. We know that better than anyone.
Mourinho then added comments on other recent sales, discussing Andre Schurrle, Kevin De Bruyne and Juan Mata.
“We know [Andre] Schurrle is a good player. [Kevin] De Bruyne is a good player. [Juan] Mata is a good player. But that’s football, that’s life, that’s the market.
“The players’ wishes sometimes to be in clubs where they become clearly the first options. That’s football, that’s life.”