LUK WHO’S BACK
Striker returns to face England in form of his life
ROMELU LUKAKU returns to London tomorrow in the form of his life thanks to finally playing for Antonio Conte.
The former Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and Manchester United striker became Inter Milan’s most expensive signing when he joined for £ 74million in August last year.
And Belgium’s record goalscorer rebuilt his form and reputation while taking Conte’s side to last year’s Europa League final and second place in Serie A.
He scored 34 goals in 51 games last season and already has three goals in three matches this term.
England could pay the price at Wembley tomorrow for his Italian renaissance.
Lukaku, 27, said: “For me Antonio is a mentor, a father, a person who understands me, and I understand him too.
“I am grateful to him for the support he has always shown me. The first time he called me was six years ago when he wanted to buy me.
“Playing for him is really the realisation of a dream. You see his teams and understand that you can, as an individual and as a collective, learn and improve a lot.
“I feel I have grown a lot, thanks to him and his staff, but we have to think this is just the beginning.”
Former Chelsea manager Conte tried to sign Lukaku for Juventus after the 2014 World Cup and for the Blues in 2017, and he has built his Inter team around the forward.
Conte has always defended his striker robustly despite early criticism. After his brace at Napoli in January, he said: “I heard people say Lukaku was a donkey not long ago. I always said he was
a rough diamond. Now I can work on polishing the diamond.”
Despite averaging close to a goal every other game for three Premier League clubs, Lukaku was never appreciated in England. Now he is feeling the love.
He said: “I love Italy, it’s the best country I have been in. They welcomed me with open arms.
“Even the football has helped me improve a lot. Italian football is much more tactical. I study how a defender plays, positions himself or reacts in situations. After training I stay 15 to 20 minutes with the coaching staff so I am prep prepared for any situation.”
At the start, Inter fans wrote an open lett letter saying monkey chants directed at him by Cagliari supporte supporters were not racist.
And last season’s Europa League Player of the Year’s own goal in the final gave Sevilla the trophy. “It was a difficult mome moment,” he said. “I didn’t speak for four days. But by suffer suffering you improve.”