• Cesar Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr and Romelu Lukaku during a training session at Chelsea Training Ground on January 4. All photos Getty Images
    Cesar Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr and Romelu Lukaku during a training session at Chelsea Training Ground on January 4. All photos Getty Images
  • Marcos Alonso and Romelu Lukaku during a training session ahead of the League Cup semi-final against Tottenham.
    Marcos Alonso and Romelu Lukaku during a training session ahead of the League Cup semi-final against Tottenham.
  • Romelu Lukaku is back in the squad after being dropped following his interview.
    Romelu Lukaku is back in the squad after being dropped following his interview.
  • Mason Mount takes part in the training session.
    Mason Mount takes part in the training session.
  • César Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic compete for the ball.
    César Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic compete for the ball.
  • Thomas Tuchel and Christian Pulisic at training.
    Thomas Tuchel and Christian Pulisic at training.
  • Timo Werner and N'Golo Kante prepare for the Tottenham clash.
    Timo Werner and N'Golo Kante prepare for the Tottenham clash.
  • Romelu Lukaku takes part in the session.
    Romelu Lukaku takes part in the session.

Lukaku back with Chelsea teammates after apologising for upset - in pictures


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Romelu Lukaku will be back in the Chelsea squad for the League Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Wednesday after being fined for his recent controversial interview.

Club-record signing Lukaku apologised for revealing his unhappiness at Chelsea in footage released last Thursday but conducted three weeks before.

The £98million ($133m) summer recruit was omitted from Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool, but has returned to training ahead of the first leg of the cup tie at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Thomas Tuchel believes Lukaku did not intend to cause such widespread damage and is determined to “clean the mess up”.

“There will be some discipline actions of course and he will accept it; what happened happened,” said Tuchel.

“It’s not a small thing but it’s not the biggest thing. And it does not make a comeback impossible, absolutely not. This is what we’ve proved now.

“Something happened, he will be fined and of course he needs to accept it."

Chelsea consider the matter now closed, with Lukaku having apologised to the club’s supporters in a video posted on the Blues’ website on Tuesday.

“He apologised and is back in the squad for training," said Tuchel. "For me the most important thing was to understand and clearly understand and believe that it was not intentional.

“He did not do this intentionally to create noise in front of such a big game. And it’s the very first time even he has behaved like this.

“He’s very aware of what happened, and what he created, and he feels the responsibility to clean the mess up."

Updated: January 05, 2022, 8:43 AM