Romelu Lukaku's £97.5million club-record return to Chelsea has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, in which no one knows when the next twist is coming.
He appeared set to lead Chelsea's charge for the Premier League title after arriving from Inter Milan, scoring three goals in as many top-flight games and bullying an Arsenal defence short on confidence.
However, after four goalless Premier League games came an ankle sprain that kept him out of six fixtures across all competitions, before coronavirus struck soon after.
Romelu Lukaku has scored just once in five appearances against 'Big Six' sides this season
Thomas Tuchel says Lukaku needs a goal to get fans back on side after bombshell interview
But few could have envisaged him confessing to being unhappy under Thomas Tuchel and flirting with his former club in a bombshell interview in Italy last month.
The Belgium striker, 28, was subsequently dropped for the 2-2 draw against Liverpool amid the fall-out from the interview, before he issued a grovelling apology to the club's fans earlier this week promising to restore trust.
Not only did his omission against the Reds at the start of the month increase the hype around the incident, but also saw him miss out on the chance to improve on his modest scoring return against the Premier League's so-called 'Big Six'.
Another opportunity presents itself this Saturday lunchtime when the Blues travel to Premier League champions Manchester City, with the visitors desperately in need of a win to close the 10-point gap between them and Pep Guardiola's league leaders.
Thomas Tuchel insists he and the club have moved on from Lukaku's interview and suggests the Belgian needs to build on his goal against Chesterfield in the FA Cup third round to wins the fans back round again.
So how likely to the statistics suggest that is, and how has he performed against the other top-six sides, including City at Stamford Bridge in September? Sportsmail crunches the numbers...
Lukaku's performances for Inter Milan in their victorious 2020-21 Serie A campaign gave the impression of a striker who performs when his team need him to most.
The Belgium international scored a goal in both Milan derbies last season, as well as netting against Juventus, Roma and Napoli once in a 24-goal Serie A campaign.
However, his only goal against a so-called 'Big Six' side following his return to the Premier League came on his second top-flight debut for the Blues in their 2-0 win at Arsenal.
No doubt his performance at the Emirates Stadium - which saw him net the first of the Blues' goal in their London derby victory - was that of an imperious centre-forward.
Lukaku marked his return to Chelsea with a goal and dominating display against Arsenal
Lukaku bullied Gunners centre-backs Rob Holding and Pablo Mari and ran them ragged with his movement, with both defenders ending the game with yellow cards to their name.
But there has arguably been little to shout about since in the Premier League, aside from a brace against Aston Villa in the following game. However, there has been even less to get excited about against the other top sides in this country.
He has faced Liverpool at Anfield, Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham in north London and Manchester United on home soil since his brilliance at Arsenal, all without netting or providing an assist.
That must be caveated by the fact that
