Danny Murphy believes Olivier Giroud should have a starting role for Chelsea.
Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has opted to play without a recognised striker in recent games, deploying Eden Hazard as a centre-forward.
Hazard scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Watford which lifted Chelsea back up to fourth in the Premier League.
Sarri has been tipped to sign a striker during next month’s transfer window.
But Murphy, speaking as a pundit on Match of the Day, insisted Giroud would be worth picking.
The former Fulham midfielder said: “I like Giroud. He’s a World Cup winner, he’s a goalscorer, Hazard loves playing with him. I don’t know (why he doesn’t play.”
Meanwhile, Sarri has explained that he took Callum Hudson-Odoi off at Watford because the young forward has a hamstring problem.
Hudson-Odi replaced the injured Pedro in the first half only to be himself substituted late in the game.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Sarri said: “He had a hamstring problem in the last week and with 10 minutes to go he had some pain, so we decided to change.
“It was too dangerous (to take risks with him). There wasn’t another solution. He played very well for 55 minutes.”