Romelu Lukaku has hinted at the ‘shocking’ reality he faced this summer after returning from a loan spell with Inter Milan and finding no place in new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino‘s plans.
The Roma forward saw proposed moves to Inter and Juventus break down before eventually agreeing to join Jose Mourinho‘s side after being forced to train away from the Blues‘ first team squad.
The 30-year-old, who has scored an impressive seven goals in eight games since moving to the Italian capital, was tight-lipped on the details of his ordeal.
But he was comfortable letting his displeasure with the events be known while speaking to reporters ahead of Belgium’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Austria and Sweden.
‘Most people in this room know me. You know that I don’t like to beat around the bush,’ he said. ‘I will speak when the time is right, but if I told you how things really went last summer, everyone would be shocked.
There were moments when I felt like I could explode and five years ago I probably would’ve done. Now I am concentrated only on what I can do best, which is playing football. I worked hard all summer.’
The former Manchester United striker alluded to issues in the build-up, which he also refused to elaborate on, that appear to have played a crucial role in his decision to reject a permanent return to the San Siro and instead pursue a controversial switch to rivals Juventus.
Lukaku also had the chance to join the raft of high-profile players signing up for the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia. He was sought after by Al-Hilal, who later got their hands on Neymar, but decided he still had the desire to compete in European football.
He continued: ‘I was honoured by their interest, but after the conversations we had, I was not completely convinced. The league will become one of the biggest in the world, but I didn’t want to leave Europe yet.’
It’s not the first time Lukaku has aluded to difficulties with his former employers since linking up Mourinho for the third time. He was also full of praise for Mourinho, who he believes has been key to his early-season success.
Credit: dailymail.co.uk
