Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has opened up about life at Chelsea, as he admits to not liking life back at London, especially his role under manager Thomas Tuchel.
The Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku who returned to the club for a record fee of £97.5million admits he is ‘not happy’ with his place in the German head coach’s first-team plans in remarks that shocked club officials last night.
In an interview with Sky Sport Italy, the Belgium international said: ‘Physically I am fine. But I’m not happy with the situation at Chelsea. Tuchel has chosen to play with another system.
‘I won’t give up, I’ll be professional. I am not happy with the situation but I am professional – and I can’t give up now.’
The interview took place around three weeks ago and Lukaku has scored in two consecutive Premier League games since then which may have calmed his frustrations.
Yet it is understood the 28-year-old has privately expressed his concerns to Tuchel in recent weeks.
Speaking earlier this month, Tuchel implied that Lukaku still hadn’t fully adapted to English football following his arrival from Italy in the summer, an indication that the Chelsea boss wasn’t entirely satisfied with his star striker’s contribution.
In the same interview, Lukaku opened the door to return to Inter Milan, the club he left in the summer in the not too distant future.
Inter sold the centre-forward to ease their huge financial concerns in the summer, while Lukaku made clear he wanted to return to Stamford Bridge.
But the former Manchester United star appears to have cleared the path for a potential return to Milan, saying: ‘I think everything that happened last summer was not supposed to happen like this… how I left Inter, the way I left the club, how I communicated with Inter fans – this bothers me because it was not the right time.
‘Now it’s the right time to share my feelings. I have always said that I have Inter in my heart: I know I will return to Inter, I really hope so. I am in love with Italy, this is right moment to talk and let people know what really happened.
I really hope from bottom of my heart to return to Inter not at the end of my career, but when I’m still at top level to win more together.
‘I want apologise to the Inter fans, the timing of my words was wrong: what you did for me will remain forever.’
Italian publication Corriere della Sera say a loan move in January is a possibility but it would come as a huge surprise if the Blues sanctioned a short-term switch.
Chelsea have a huge game against Liverpool this Sunday with a number of injuries already making the trip to Anfield look daunting.
Tuchel will now have to deal with a huge dilemma in whether to drop Lukaku or swallow his pride and start the forward in a game with major title ramifications.