Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Romelu Lukaku is ready to 'take responsibility' for comments that he made about his future last weekend.
Less than six months into a five-year contract, the 28-year-old suggested that he was unhappy with life at Stamford Bridge, claiming that he wanted to re-join Inter Milan in the future.
While Tuchel initially acknowledged that he had been left angry and surprised by the revelations, the Blues boss has now said that he has accepted Lukaku's apology.
Nevertheless, regardless of Lukaku being ready to "clean the mess up", Tuchel feels that the forward has no choice but to accept any criticism which comes his way.
Speaking to reporters, Tuchel said: "He is very aware of what happened and what he created. He feels the responsibility to clean the mess up. Maybe we will have a bit of smell, still, but he can handle it, even if there is no other choice.
"He cannot expect everyone to be super happy the very next day, but he is still our player, and we have a lot of reasons to make him play for us and to convince him and to fight hard that he is our player. We are happy that he is our player, and we will protect him.
"It is also important that the stadium supports the team. Even if someone has a different opinion or strongly disagrees, it is about the team."
Lukaku is expected to feature in the squad for Wednesday's EFL Cup fixture with Tottenham Hotspur or the weekend's FA Cup meeting with Chesterfield.
Darren Plant
