Romelu Lukaku Thrives When He Feels Loved, Says Mourinho
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Roma manager Jose Mourinho has said that Romelu Lukaku thrives when he feels loved after the Belgian striker scored his first goal for the Italian club in Sunday’s 7-0 win over Empoli. Lukaku joined Roma on a season-long loan from Chelsea in the summer and Mourinho believes that the 30-year-old is feeling the love from his new team.
Lukaku had re-joined Chelsea for £97.5m in 2021 but his return proved unsuccessful and he was not part of new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. Mourinho said: “Romelu needs to feel loved and wanted. When he came here, he could sense the team needed a player like him.”
The Portuguese added that netting his first goal would be good for the forward’s confidence: “That wasn’t a big deal for me. Maybe it was for him – you know what footballers are like, especially forwards, they live to score.”
Lukaku spent last season on loan at Inter Milan, appearing in the Champions League final defeat by Manchester City, but they could not reach a deal to permanently sign him from Chelsea who he had re-joined from the Italians in August 2021.
Mourinho also said Inter, who thrashed AC Milan in their derby on Saturday, have “no reason to be angry” at Lukaku: “They won the derby 5-1 and have an amazing team with lots of forwards,” added Mourinho, who managed Inter from 2008-2010.”They should be happy for their former coach, who needed Lukaku.”
Lukaku is a proven goalscorer and has scored over 200 goals in his career so far, including 17 for Belgium in their run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and a further 15 in Euro 2020 qualifying. He will be hoping to add to his tally for Roma this season and continue to prove that he can still perform at the highest level despite his age and recent struggles at Chelsea.
Mourinho will be hoping that Lukaku can help Roma to improve their fortunes this season after a difficult start to the campaign which has seen them collect just four points from their first four Serie A games. The Portuguese believes that Lukaku can be a key player for Roma this season and that the feeling of being loved and wanted will help him to perform to his best ability.
Lukaku is a proven goalscorer and has scored over 200 goals in his career so far, including 17 for Belgium in their run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and a further 15 in Euro 2020 qualifying. He will be hoping to add to his tally for Roma this season and continue to prove that he can still perform at the highest level despite his age and recent struggles at Chelsea.
Mourinho will be hoping that Lukaku can help Roma to improve their fortunes this season after a difficult start to the campaign which has seen them collect just four points from their first four Serie A games. The Portuguese believes that Lukaku can be a key player for Roma this season and that the feeling of being loved and wanted will help him to perform to his best ability.
Lukaku is an experienced striker who has played at some of Europe’s top clubs and Mourinho is confident that he can make a difference for Roma this season if he continues to feel loved and appreciated by his teammates and manager. With his experience and goalscoring prowess, Lukaku could be the difference between success and failure for Roma this season and Mourinho will be hoping that he can help them turn their fortunes around and challenge for silverware this year.