Out-going Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has finally released a statement following his acrimonious departure from the club.

In an emotional and heartfelt post – entitled in capital letters “LEAVE THIS WORLD A LITTLE BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT” – on his Instagram account, the Italian football maestro said:

‘My journey with Chelsea began with the preliminary rounds of the Conference League. I leave with the inner peace of leaving a prestigious club like Chelsea where it deserves to be.

I want to thank all the Chelsea fans for their support over the last 18 months. Support that was crucial to achieving Champions League qualification, winning the Conference League, and winning the Club World Cup. Victories that I will always hold in my heart!

A special thank you to all the players who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey. I wish everyone who has shared every moment with me every success in this second half of the season and in the future.

Thank you, CHELSEA 💙 from me and my family.’

Maresca, who has 731,000 Followers on Insta, added a number of key photos from his time at the club to illustrate the post. The message had been Liked 232,000 times within the first few hours and had drawn more than 17,000 comments.