Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku said on Tuesday he was “sorry” after saying he was “not happy” at the club under manager Thomas Tuchel. The Belgium forward’s interview with Sky Sport Italia, filmed early last month, was published on Thursday. Tuchel then dropped Lukaku, 28, who has suffered from injury and Covid-19 this season, for Sunday’s draw with Liverpool.

“To the fans I’m sorry for the upset that I’ve caused,” Lukaku told Chelsea’s website. “Obviously, it’s up to me now to restore your trust, and I’ll do my best every day to show commitment on the training ground and in games to make sure we win games. And also to the manager, my teammates and the board, I apologise, because I think it was not the right moment, also. And I want to move forward from this and make sure that we start winning football games and make sure that I start performing for the team in the best manner,” he added.