ATOMIC ROM
B elgium hitman is going down a bomb with Inter
ROMELU LUKAKU returns to London tomorrow in the form of his life thanks to finally playing for Antonio Conte – and quickly loving Italian football.
The former Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and Manchester United striker became Inter Milan’s most expensive signing when he joined for £ 74m in August last year.
Belgium’s record goalscorer then rebuilt his form and reputation while taking Conte’s side to last year’s Europa League final and to second place in Serie A.
He scored 34 times in 51 competitive matches last season and has netted three times in the first three league matches of this campaign.
Lukaku, 27, has given Conte the credit for his Italian renaissance. And England, their old home, could pay the price at Wembley tomorrow.
“For me he is a mentor, a father, a person who understands me really well,” said Lukaku. “I understand him too and 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. For me, playing for him is really the realisation of a dream.
“You see his teams and you understand that you can, as an individual and as a collective, learn a lot and improve a lot.
“I feel I have grown a lot in the last season thanks to him and his staff but we have to think this is just the beginning.
“We have to improve further and Conte is the right coach to do it.”
Conte first tried to sign Lukaku for Juventus after the 2014 World Cup, and then for Chelsea in 2017.
Now the ex- Blues boss has built his Inter team around the forward and helped supply him with former Premier League stars Ashley Young, Alexis Sanchez and Christian Eriksen to make Inter into
Serie A contenders this season. Conte has always defended his striker despite early criticism.
After his brace at Napoli in January, he said: “I heard people say Lukaku was a donkey not that long ago.
“I always said Romelu was a rough diamond that needed work to smooth him out. I wanted Romelu very strongly when I was at Chelsea, even back at Juventus. Now I can work on polishing the diamond.” Lukaku was always given a rough time in English football. Despite his strong goalscoring record in the Premier League – he averaged close to a goal every other game for three clubs – Lukaku was never properly appreciated and not wanted by
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at
United. Now he is feeling the love in Italy.
“I love being in
Italy, it’s the best country I have ever been in,” said Lukaku. “The
Italians welcomed me with open arms and I’m grateful to everyone.
“Even the football has helped me improve a lot. Italian football is much more tactical.
“I study how a defender plays, how he positions himself or how he reacts in certain situations.
“After training I stay 15 to 20 minutes with the coaching staff so I am prepared for any situation.”
His Italian job did not start t well when his own fans wrote e an open letter claiming monkey - chants directed at him by y Cagliari fans in his second d match were not racist.
And after being awarded
Player of the Year in last season’s Europa League, e, his own goal in the final al gave Sevilla the trophy.
“It was a very difficult moment for me,” he said. “I didn’t speak for four days.
“These things happen. Only by suffering you improve. You can lose, but only to learn how to win.”