Cahill: Chelsea must fear Lukaku in FA Cup Final
Chelsea qualified for the flagship game by beating Southampton, while Manchester United had to come from behind at Wembley to overcome Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals.
Lukaku, who has netted 26 goals in all competitions and added 7 assists for the Red Devils this season, used to be a Chelsea player, but never really got his chance at Stamford Bridge.
"It’ll be difficult. I’ve played against him and trained against him loads of times," Cahill, said. "The cup final’s going to be whoever performs on the day. We’ve put the season to bed and we have a full week to prepare in the right way.
"When he was here he had talent but he was very young. He’s developed into a world-class striker so credit to him. Sometimes when you’re at a club like Chelsea you feel sorry when you see a player move on, because naturally some progress and some don’t. You don’t hear about the ones that don’t.
"We all know it’s hard to have time to come in as a young player -- maybe the club and the supporters give you seven, eight, nine games where you’re rusty and not performing. It’s difficult to do that. They’ve gone on and developed elsewhere, and he’s gone on to be a top player. There’s loads of them.
Loaned out to West Brom and Everton, he was eventually sold to the Toffees for €35 million in 2014, before moving to Old Trafford last summer for a huge €84.7m.
Cahill had further praise for the young Belgian.
"What everyone can see - pace, power, strength and he can finish. His goalscoring record is very good. But we’re not focusing on one player in this team. First and foremost, we’re focused on what we’re trying to do, and be respectful of the fact that they have numerous players who can turn a game on its head, as do we."