Lukaku put the finishing touches on his transfer from Anderlecht to his boyhood idols on Thursday and Villas-Boas had no fears about throwing the 18-year-old in at the deep end. Lukaku has been compared to Drogba, who has established himself as one of Chelsea's all-time greats during seven glittering years at the club.
And manager Villas-Boas was confident the new kid on the block could emulate his hero, saying: "If he performs to the level that Drogba has performed for this club then why not?"
But the Portuguese also warned the Blues' latest signing he faced "the biggest competition of his life" trying to oust Drogba, Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou from the squad.
Villas-Boas added: "He is tremendously powerful, very strong in the challenges.
"Despite his size, he has an explosiveness and an ability to react quickly which looks pretty amazing.
"He just has to break through this competitive level and, for sure, he will get opportunities this year."
Lukaku welcomed comparisons with Drogba, telling his new club's official website, www.chelseafc.com: "We have similar playing styles, but I am also very fast. I want to learn from him how it is to play here at the Bridge and how to prepare for games.
"I can also learn from the other strikers and experienced players in the squad.
"I think if you are clever on and off the pitch you will get accepted and that's what I want."
Source: PA
Source: PA