Jose Mourinho has opened up on how Inter Milan did what Chelsea and Manchester United could not in bringing out the best of Romelu Lukaku.
Jose Mourinho reckons increased self-confidence, affection, and a great relationship with the manager are the reasons behind Romelu Lukaku’s impressive form at Inter Milan.
The Portuguese, who has coached Lukaku twice in his career, also believes the striker was ‘still a kid’ at Chelsea and was ‘still developing’ during their time together at Manchester United.
After falling out of favor under Mourinho’s Red Devils successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Lukaku joined Inter in 2019 and rebuilt his career in impressive fashion under the guidance of Antonio Conte.
The 27-year-old was critical behind Inter’s Serie A title victory last season and bagged the Italian league’s MVP award for his stellar performances.
Now Mourinho thinks this summer’s European Championship can offer his former striker an opportunity to grow his reputation even more.
“I think it’s a great moment for him to say to the world: ‘I’m here and I’m one of the best strikers.’ These two years at Inter Milan have given him the stature and the self-confidence that he didn’t have before,” Mourinho told The Times.
“At Chelsea, he was still a kid. At Manchester United, he was still developing. At Inter he became the top man.
“He became loved – a big love from the supporters, love from teammates, great relations with the coach.
“He’s a big guy, physically so strong, but there is also a kid inside who needs that love, needs that support, needs to feel important.”
Lukaku, meanwhile, has recently played down reports linking him with a return to Chelsea by insisting he is happy at Inter.
The former Everton star will return to action on Saturday for Belgium’s Group B opener against Russia in Euro 2020.
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