Romelu Lukaku's a serious rival for Fernando Torres

JOSE MOURINHO says Romelu Lukaku could start the season ahead of Fernando Torres, having watched him lay down a marker with goals in each of his first two games.

Lukaku is piling the pressure on Fernando Torres

The Belgium international, back from his loan at West Brom, scored on the stroke of half-time in a 4-1 win against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur which was effectively their national team.

His strike followed the winning penalty against Bangkok four days earlier and with Mourinho switching his entire side at half-time in pre-season games so far, it means he is averaging a goal every 45 minutes.

“Of course Lukaku can challenge Torres,” Mourinho said. “He is learning to play the way I want.

“Every manager has his own ideas. Lukaku had a fantastic ­manager last season, but Steve Clarke is Steve Clarke, I am me, and West Brom is not Chelsea.

“It’s up to the kid, but he’s open and intelligent to learn the kind of movement we want.

“The role he played tonight was the right movement. We don’t want the striker just aiming between the central defenders, but making movements, sometimes between the midfield or moving wide.”

Mourinho is quick to knock back anybody who is getting carried away with Lukaku’s strong start, however, and dismissed suggestions that Lukaku could be compared to Didier Drogba.

“We have to respect Didier ­because he is unique in Chelsea’s history, and we have to respect Lukaku,” he said.

“The best way to do that is not to compare him to a legend in Chelsea’s history. Leave Didier where he is, at the top of Chelsea’s history, and leave Lukaku to work hard. The kid is good.”

His willingness to learn at least gives Lukaku a chance.

Mourinho has already spoken on tour of his belief that Torres struggles to perform against tight defences and is only effective against certain types of opposition.

Mourinho speaks to Lukaku on their pre-season tour

“Leave Didier where he is, at the top of Chelsea’s history, and leave Lukaku to work hard. The kid is good”

Jose Mourinho

While he feels he does not have a striker who can show those characteristics, all the time that Chelsea are at loggerheads with Manchester United over the valuation of Wayne Rooney, he is having to formulate a ‘Plan B’ from within his squad.

Demba Ba has so far played second fiddle to Lukaku in terms of chances on tour, but the man signed by Chelsea from Newcastle in January will be given his chance to impress in the final game of the Far East leg of Chelsea’s pre-season tour in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Mourinho said: “The next match Demba will start.

“The team who start the game has more time to warm up and prepare, so they have better conditions for a good individual performance.

“Lukaku started these two matches. Demba will start in Jakarta.”

Impressive 17-year-old triallist Bertrand Traore opened the scoring in Kuala Lumpur yesterday – Chelsea will sign him on a contract as soon as he turns 18 – and Kevin De Bruyne hit the second goal so hard that he overextended his knee and was taken off on a stretcher.

“When he was on the floor and asking for a change, everyone on the bench thought the worst,” added Mourinho.

“The first assessment by the ­doctor is that it is not ligaments for sure and (we think) it has to be a very small injury.

“That’s what we hope because the kid is a fantastic player and showing to you match after match, and showing to me in training, that he’s going to be a good player and a key man on the pitch.”

Victor Moses scored a late fourth but in injury-time Malaysia managed a consolation.