Chelsea fear injured Lukaku will be out for three weeks

Chelsea are concerned Romelu Lukaku will not be able to play again before the next international break.

The striker is expected to miss at least two to three weeks due to the ankle injury he suffered against Malmo on Wednesday.

Lukaku was forced off in the first half of the 4-0 Champions League success after twisting an ankle under a challenge from Malmo’s Lasse Nielsen that resulted in a penalty. The Belgian left Stamford Bridge on crutches as a precaution and underwent scans yesterday, but his ankle was still too swollen to be sure of how long he would be out.

Initial assessments suggested that Lukaku would miss at least two or three weeks, and further examinations will confirm the likelihood of him playing before the next international break, which comes after Chelsea host Burnley on Nov 6. Given the comfortable run of fixtures before the international break, starting with tomorrow’s visit of Norwich City, Chelsea are unlikely to take any chances over their £97.5 million record signing, although Lukaku’s agent, Federico Pastorello, believes he will work to try to return as soon as possible.

Pastorello, who was at the Malmo game, said: “I was very worried because Romelu is a player who wants to play and the fact he stayed lying on the pitch so long after the penalty, it doesn’t look good to me because he is someone who immediately stands up.

“The fact he was down for four minutes, I was with Petr Cech and I told him while watching the game that it was something I was scared about because he isn’t one to make a fake scene.

“When he stood up, I thought it is not a good sign, and now we are waiting for the exams, so we will

know something more soon. But if you see the pictures and the video of the injury, the position of the ankle is really under the weight of the body. But he is a strong boy and he wants so much to play every game, so he will be back stronger soon, I am sure.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Pastorello added: “He was very sad as a first reaction, but everybody was seeing he was playing a good game and I am 100 per cent sure he would have scored goals [had he stayed on]. He was on fire, but he is really concentrated and will be focused on his recovery as soon as possible.

“He has his physio at home, so he is working hard every evening, even before he goes to sleep. So if there is a time to come back, it will be earlier than planned.”

The injury will come as bad news for Belgium, who are due to play World Cup qualifiers against Estonia on Nov 13 and Wales on Nov 16.