Romelu Lukaku posts cryptic message on social media just TWO months after criticising Thomas Tuchel

Romelu Lukaku is again making headlines off the pitch as he posted a cryptic message on social media just weeks after he expressed dissatisfaction with Thomas Tuchel’s tactics.

‘If you have to force it, then it probably doesn’t fit,’ the Belgian posted on his Snapchat account on Friday evening.

While the message may not refer to anything in particular and there’s nothing to suggest it was aimed as a dig at Chelsea, its timing appears ill-advised as it comes just a month after Lukaku was forced to apologise to the club following an explosive interview to Sky in Italy. 

Speaking to the Italian broadcaster at the end of December, the 28-year-old admitted a return to Stamford Bridge had only emerged as a realistic possibility after Inter Milan’s financial constraints meant his demand for a new deal was turned down.

The Belgian fired Inter to their first Serie A title in a decade last season and told Sky he would have remained at the San Siro had the club offered him a new contract.

‘The second year after we won the Scudetto, I went to speak with club chiefs and asked for a new contract,’ he said.

‘But they didn’t want to extend my contract, the possibility wasn’t there. It was tough for me to accept, because in my head I told myself that I would be able to do a few more years in Milan.

Chelsea’s record signing posted this message on his Snapchat profile on Friday afternoon

‘In my opinion, there are three absolute top teams in football – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Every player dreams of playing for one of these teams one day. So I thought if I ever had that possibility, I would sign a new contract with Inter and then go there 

‘But it didn’t happen, so I told myself that there is only one team where I could possibly see myself – Chelsea. I wasn’t thinking about going there, but at one point they came in for me and so I asked [Inter boss Simone] Inzaghi to leave.’

Chelsea signed Lukaku for a club record £97.5million in the summer and the Belgian hit the ground running, scoring three goals in the first three Premier League games of the season.

After being sidelined with an ankle injury throughout November, the former Everton and Manchester United forward struggled to regain his place in the starting XI and admitted not seeing eye-to-eye with Tuchel. 

The Belgian criticised Thomas Tuchel’s tactics and decision in an interview with Sky in Italy 

Lukaku said his interview with Sky in Italy was about saying goodbye to Inter Milan fans

But he later apologised to Chelsea in a video address the club released in early January

‘I think I’m in a moment where the boss could play me a little more but I have to respect his decisions, continue to work and wait for my time to come,’ he continued.

‘We’re trying to find a middle ground where we can meet, a system which can help the team perform at its best because right now we’re in a complicated situation.’

Lukaku was dropped for the Premier League game against Liverpool on January 2 following his interview with Sky in Italy, but returned to the fold just days later for the first leg of Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham.

Chelsea’s record signing apologised in a video message released by the club, with Tuchel insisted all the parties concerned had moved on swiftly from the incident.

‘I think it’s impatience,’ the German said last month, when asked about Lukaku’s frustration.

‘He wants big chances and it is hard for him to accept that sometimes the grass does not grow faster when you pull it.

‘He is emotional. So it’s our job to bring out the best of him, to find the right position, to find the right systems. This is what we do for every single player.’ 

Following his apology, Lukaku started each of Chelsea’s last eight games in all competitions, scoring against Chesterfield in the third round of the FA Cup and against Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the FIFA Club’s World Cup earlier this week.