‘Chat with Jose made up my mind’ – Lukaku
Belgian believes Mourinho can help him realise ambitions
ROMELU LUKAKU has revealed he knew he had to sign for Manchester United rather than Chelsea as soon as he spoke to Jose Mourinho about the move.
If anyone doubted Mourinho’s continued pulling power as a manager, Lukaku claimed the Portuguese was the chief reason he wanted to become a United player.
The £75m (€84m) Belgian rejected the chance to return to Chelsea this month, even though the club had been confident for several months that he wanted to do so.
That confidence proved misplaced as Mourinho intervened to make sure Lukaku realised how badly United wanted him, and why it would be the perfect place for him to become one of the world’s elite strikers. PERSUADE Although his friend and United teammate Paul Pogba also worked hard to persuade him to come to Old Trafford, Lukaku insisted it was Mourinho who made it an easy selection.
“I had to make my own choices,” said Lukaku, when asked about Pogba’s role in the transfer.
“It was the conversation I had with the manager that really convinced me the most, the plans and how he wanted to rebuild the club and he wanted me to be part of it.
“I am grateful for the chance. It feels great. It is something I always wanted. I always wanted to play for a club of this stature. Now I am here I want to take my chance and try to deliver as much as I could for the club.”
At 24, Lukaku claimed he would get only better, pointing out that he had still not reached his peak years as a striker, which will ensure United have signed a goalscorer who will give them far more than he was capable of at Everton.
In turn, it is the prospect of playing for a club who will help turn him into one of the world’s elite that fuelled his desire to join United.
Asked if he could be as prolific for United as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Lukaku replied: “Of course, but it’s about winning trophies at the end of the day.
“I’m a goalscorer, I’ve always scored goals throughout my career. Even in Europe. My record in the Europa League is really good. Now, I think the Champions League is the next stage where I have to prove myself and the club wants to do well.
“I’m not at their level yet. No, no, no – I’m far from that level. It’s the level I want to aim for. But it’s all about the team, I want them to win trophies.
“I must keep improving. There is always room to improve. I just want to become the best player I can be. I’ll never say it’s good enough.
“I’m 24, I can’t say I’m the complete package. I can’t say I’m in my prime. There is a lot of work to be done and I’m delighted that there is still work to be done. That means I can become even better than I am.
“That’s the state of mind I have – I always want to be better. It’s a pressure I put on myself. When you play for United you have to perform every week.”
Given his prolific goalscoring record at West Bromwich Albion and Everton, Lukaku’s confidence is understandable, although he has been warned by former United player Ryan Giggs that expectations can weigh heavily on a centre-forward at such a high-profile club.
There is only so much talking he can do, but United have spent heavily on him because they assume he will not need any time to settle because of his vast Premier League experience.
It is that sort of demanding environment that the former Anderlecht player felt he needed to bring out the best in him.
“For me, it’s all about winning,” he added. “I want to win. Now I’m at a club where winning is the most important thing. It’s something inside of me. I want to help my team-mates deliver wins, game in game out.
“It’s always been like that. I’ve been a guy working to be a pro since I was 11 years old. To play for a club like Manchester United is something I’ve always wanted. I want to grab this opportunity.
“I’m different to (Didier) Drogba. He is more of a hold-up player, a target man. I prefer to have ball to feet and run in behind. We’re totally different.
“We might have physical similarities but we’re totally different players. I’m Romelu Lukaku. I want to create own history.” (© Daily Telegraph, London)