Lukaku Apologises, Back to Chelsea Squad

Romelu Lukaku has apologised and will return to the Chelsea squad for today’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham, manager Thomas Tuchel announced yesterday.

Lukaku was dropped for Sunday’s Premier League draw with Liverpool after comments he made in an interview recorded three weeks ago.

The pair had a “calm” meeting on Monday about the striker returning.

“He apologised and was back in the squad for Tuesday’s training,” Tuchel said.

“We have given it time to look back on. For me, the most important thing was to understand – and clearly understand – it was not intentional. He did not do this intentionally to create this kind of noise in front of a big game.”

In an interview recorded in December, Chelsea’s club record £97.5m signing said he was “not happy” with his bit-part role under Tuchel and that he would like to return to Inter Milan in the near future.

Before Sunday’s game against Liverpool, Tuchel said he had left the 28-year-old out of the squad to “protect the preparation”.

Tuchel added: “Even before, when he seemed to be, in his opinion, ready to play after his injury from the start and we thought he needed to readapt to the intensity a little bit more, there was never the slightest behaviour against the team.”