Former Chelsea defender and World Cup winner Franck Leboeuf has told Antonio Conte to stop bragging about getting the best from Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan.
The Italian faced a backlash after saying that Chelsea are "yet to figure out" Lukaku following his club-record transfer from the San Siro this summer, despite the striker scoring four goals in eight games so far.
Lukaku scored 24 goals in 36 Serie A games last season as the Nerazzurri won their first scudetto in 10 years and Conte was not shy in offering some advice to Thomas Tuchel.
"I don’t think Chelsea have quite figured out how to use him yet," Conte said while working as a pundit on Italian television during Chelsea's Champions League clash with Juventus.
"He is a very specific striker. Bringing Lukaku into the box, he is dangerous. However, when he starts from midfield, he is incredibly quick.
"It is very difficult to find a player who is both a target man but can also run from midfield."
They were comments that were viewed by many as a dig at the current Blues boss, including by former defender and 1998 World Cup winner Leboeuf.
The Frenchman spent five years at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2001, and came out in defence of Tuchel and accused
"He was wrong to say it," Leboeuf told ESPN FC.
"He was in a way bragging for me. It is bragging.
"He’s saying, ‘I did well, I was able to put Romelu Lukaku at his best,’ which is right, which is completely right and he did very well.
"But he’s saying, if you read between the lines, Tuchel doesn’t.
"And as a former coach of Chelsea, you should take a step back at some point and stop bragging."
