Belgium striker, Romelu Lukaku, has apologised to Chelsea fans and his manager for his comments about the club during a recent explosive interview.

Lukaku, 28, had revealed he was unhappy at the club and with manager Thomas Tuchel, adding that he wishes to return to Inter Milan

The Belgian’s explosive comments came just four months after rejoining the Blues for a £97.5million club-record deal.

He was subsequently left out of the squad that held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.

In a lengthy interview posted on the eve of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, Lukaku told Chelsea TV: “To the fans, I’m sorry for the upset I caused. You guys know the connection I have with this club since my teenage years.

“I totally understand you guys being upset. Obviously, it’s up to me now to restore your trust and I’ll do my best to show commitment every day on the training ground to try and make sure we win games.

“I also apologise to my team-mates, the manager and the board because I think it was not the right moment and I want to move on forward from this.”

He added: “It’s been quite a hectic few days I think and I totally understand [the reaction].

“It’s been tough especially with Covid and trying to get back into the team and stuff, but in the end – the last two games that I’ve played – I tried to help the team win.

“We succeeded in winning the game against Villa, then against Brighton it was very frustrating not to have won the game, obviously, for everyone at the club.

“But also, personally, it’s been very hectic after doing this interview.”

He added that he never intended to disrespect anyone and added that he understood the reaction from fans and pundits to his interview.

“I totally understand. I should have been much clearer in my message, to be honest, because the interview was about saying goodbye to Inter fans,’ the Belgium international – currently in his second spell at Stamford Bridge – went on.

“It was not about trying to disrespect the [Chelsea] fans, the football club, the owner, my team-mates and the manager and his technical staff.

“They did a lot of effort to bring me back here and I wanted to come back here. I was on a mission since I left.

“I totally understand the frustration of the fans, but now it’s on me to make sure I show my commitment 100 per cent and I will do that from every game.”

Asked whether Chelsea supporters were right to question his commitment given his comments about rejoining Inter, Lukaku replied: “They don’t need to be questioning that.

“At the end of the day, if you see how it was said: I wanted to come here to be successful.

“That’s why I signed a five-year deal, because Chelsea is a club that is equal to success. All the players that come here are winning and I have a special passion for this club.

“I want to achieve with this football club, I want to win here for many years, that’s why I signed a five-year deal.

“I want to make sure I show my commitment in training every day and also in games for this football club.”