English soccer club Chelsea's Brazilian player Kenedy. [Photo/Agencies]

English soccer club Chelsea apologized on Sunday after Instagram posts by Brazilian player Kenedy "caused great offense and hurt the feelings" of the Chinese people.

The 21-year-old winger sparked outrage among netizens over the weekend when he posted images on social media that appeared to use bad language against China and mock a Chinese security guard.

Kenedy quickly deleted the posts, but "the damage had already been done", the English Premier League club said in a statement on Sunday, adding that it "solemnly and sincerely apologizes".

"Kenedy's actions were a mistake that he will learn greatly from. His behavior does not represent the entire team, and does not align with the club's high expectations and strict requirements of its young players," the club said.

"The negative impact we have seen over the last two days has left us shocked and saddened."

Kenedy's posts on Instagram came ahead of Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Arsenal in a preseason exhibition match at Beijing's National Stadium on Saturday.

The club said the match was a "great cultural exchange" between China and the United Kingdom.