Lukaku left out of Champions League squad

Chelsea's £18 million signing Romelu Lukaku has been left out of the club's 22-man squad for the group stage of the Champions League

Lukaku, 18, was signed by Chelsea during the summer transfer window from Anderlecht having impressed in Belgium's top flight with his goalscoring form. The striker made his competitive debut for the Blues in August's 3-1 Premier League win over Norwich, coming on as an 83rd minute substitute for Fernando Torres.

But, as he does not qualify as a homegrown player in Europe, Chelsea have been forced to leave the Belgium international out of their Champions League squad, despite the high price paid for his signature.

Andre Villas-Boas' side have been paired against Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen and Genk in Group E of this season's Champions League. Chelsea's other summer signings Oriol Romeu, Juan Mata and Raul Meireles are all in the 22-man group.