Romelu Lukaku SNUBS Jose Mourinho as he names the four bosses who 'changed his life' - despite playing under the Special One for three different clubs!
Napoli striker Lukaku first worked with the Special One at Chelsea before linking up with him again at Manchester United and, more recently, Roma on loan.
He failed to make the grade during his first stint at Stamford Bridge and after being sent out on loan to West Brom and Everton, he joined the latter permanently. Lukaku excelled there, earning himself a £75million move to United.
The frontman was initially reluctant to join United and admitted years later that he regretted being influenced by a phone call from then-Red Devils boss Mourinho.
Last year, Mourinho again came calling to convince him to reunite with him at Roma, admitting, 'We have a good team, but we are missing a champion.'
Mourinho even spoke openly after Lukaku's need to 'feel loved' to perform at his top level, but not even this more subtle approach was enough for him to make the Belgian's list of the four most influential managers throughout his career.
Lukaku named Antonio Conte among that group of 'footballing fathers' before telling La Gazzetta dello Sport: 'Yes, just like Roberto Martinez was in Belgium, [Ronald] Koeman at Everton and Ariel Jacobs at Anderlecht.'
Speaking in a previous interview with Corriere dello Sport, however, Lukaku insisted he held no grudges with Mourinho and that he would 'never speak badly' of him.
'Absolutely not,' said Lukaku. 'Jose is a winner. I had him twice, first at Manchester United and then at Roma. Something happened between him and I don't know who, and I didn't want to get involved. I will never speak badly of Jose.
'At Roma, he didn't have a top squad, but he still went all the way. I always wish him the best, he's doing great things in Turkey, too.'
However, Lukaku had even warmer words for Conte, under whom he won two Serie A titles at Inter Milan and Napoli, most recently last season.
'We have the same mentality: improvement only comes with hard work,' Lukaku said.
'He has a footballing idea that suits my characteristics, and when I'm at home, I try to learn the concepts of the game that he wants.
'Our relationship has always worked because he knows how to give me those motivations to try and be the strongest every day.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Man Utd fans cancelled planned protest before Arsenal game
A Manchester United supporters' group, The 1958, has postponed a planned protest against the club's ownership. The demonstration was initially organised for 17 August, ahead of United's opening Premier League match against Arsenal, targeting minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The 1958, known for previous protests against the Glazer family, extended their frustration to Ratcliffe over his operational changes and perceived collaboration with the Glazers. The group stated that Ratcliffe, who acquired a 28.94 per cent stake and took operational control in February 2024, was "no saviour" and "helping keep them in charge." The postponement followed a survey revealing a split in fan opinion, with the group deciding it was irresponsible to risk internal conflict among supporters. Manchester United fan group postpones protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
Harry Maguire tells Man Utd new boys to prepare to be hated as he reveals why club was so bad last season
HARRY MAGUIRE told Manchester United's new boys to pretend they are still kicking a ball around in the playground. The England defender has spent the last six years at Old Trafford and knows the pressure of the red shirt can be too much for some players. Striker Benjamin Sesko and fellow forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have joined this summer as part of a £200million spending spree. That has got fans excited ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, which they begin on Sunday with a clash against old rivals Arsenal. However Maguire — appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast — believes stars who arrive at the Theatre of Dreams have to be able to handle the heat . . . no matter how good they are. They will also have to cope with the fact everyone will hate them because they play for the Red Devils. Centre-back Maguire, 32, said: 'Mental strength definitely has a big part to play. 'You've got to thrive off the pressure and you've got to play like you're playing in a playground — and that's what we've struggled to find over the last ten years. 'There has been a transition period, obviously. When Alex Ferguson was here, we had the best team by far and won all the trophies. 'But in the transition period at the moment, the reality is that we're not the best team. 'It's how people and how the lads can adapt to that level of scrutiny and to keep going through that scrutiny. ' Bruno Fernandes is a perfect example. He doesn't care what anyone thinks and he believes in his ability — and shows it on the pitch.' Behind the scenes of Benjamin Sesko's first day at Man Utd, from meeting team-mates to interview Maguire's advice to the summer signings would be to make sure they have good people around to support them during the difficult periods. And do not go assuming that you have made it — because things can turn very quickly when you are a United player. He said: 'I see a lot of players at Manchester United break through in one or two years. 'And then, after the second year, you start getting questioned and the form dips a little bit. It happens so much. 'It's really important to have good support around you, good family around you. But obviously, some players come from different countries and don't have that. 'So the main thing I always say is that you can only do what you can do. And on the football pitch, you get judged. 'And when you play for this club, everything gets analysed. Every goal that goes in the back of the net is someone's fault. 'You do become used to it. But for a young boy coming into it, when you're a young boy, you have no fear. 'And then, once you make a couple of mistakes, after a couple of seasons, people then start expecting things from you. 'And then that is when the real test comes.' 4 Some fans have ended up scratching their heads over why 64-cap Maguire plays so much better for the national team than he does for his club side. And the defender believes it is for a similar kind of reason, adding: 'There's more scrutiny on Manchester United, just because more people in the country hate them. And that's just a fact. 'Everyone in the Premier League dislikes Man United and they don't want to see them do well. So there is more scrutiny on Manchester United, whereas England, everyone gets together. 'And England's another story. What happens with England is when you get over 30, the fans start to think 'get out'. 'They want to play these young guys who are coming through who have amazing highlights on Twitter and things.' Maguire believes that United were not physically up to challenging in the Prem last season — as evidenced by their 15th-place finish — but hopes it will be different this time around. Boss Ruben Amorim has had a full pre-season and will also have plenty of blank midweeks to work on the training ground with no European football. Maguire, who started his career at Sheffield United and played for Hull and Leicester before moving to United in 2019, said: 'We want to be challenging at the top. We have a lot of talent in the squad obviously and the players we've brought in are going to improve us massively. 'And it's really good that we've had a full pre- season to work under this manager. He spoke about it a lot last season that we just didn't have a chance to train. 'When he first took over, I think the physicality of our squad wasn't good enough for the Premier League. 'We couldn't run hard enough. We didn't win enough duels. He's realised that now we have got a full pre-season and I think the lads are looking leaner and sharper. 'We now have good competition for places and I'm sure they'll bring in a couple more. But it's looking a lot brighter.' The £85m defender also gave a ringing endorsement to Fernandes — the man who took the captain's armband off him two years ago. He revealed: 'I said to Bruno, if I had to give it away to anyone — which I didn't want to — he'd be the man to take the club forward. 'He is a great player and leader.' LISTEN to the full Rio Meets Harry Maguire interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 4
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Benjamin Sesko reveals why he joined Man United in his first interview at the club - after the Red Devils beat Newcastle to sign £73.7m man
Manchester United 's new £73.7million man Benjamin Sesko has revealed why he chose to join the club, as he sat down for his first official interview at Old Trafford. Sesko, 22, was the subject of one of the summer's hottest transfer sagas before committing his future to the Red Devils, with Newcastle also keenly interested in signing the striker. Despite RB Leipzig accepting offers from both Manchester United and Newcastle, the Slovenian made clear his intentions to sign for Ruben Amorim 's side, who finished 15th in the Premier League after a dismal domestic season last campaign. By opting for the Red Devils over Newcastle, Sesko passed up the chance to play in Europe, with the Magpies having secured Champions League football with a fifth place finish last term. Clarifying why he chose to sign for Manchester United during his first interview there, Sesko told MUTV: 'I think, first of all, because of the club - it's just a historical club that is unbelievable. 'For me, the team is great. It is getting better and better and that's why also there is just stuff that makes you come there, gives you this energy that you want to be part of. I think it's a great project, in general, and I can't wait to start, definitely.' He continued: 'I've just been here for a couple of hours and it's already been amazing. I can already feel that we're going to be a great family and it is a pleasure to be part of it. 'It feels good, you know, the thing is it [the badge] fits well and I'm looking forward to just playing in it a lot and try to represent in the good ways possible.' Prior to swooping for Sesko, Manchester United had already heavily reinforced Amorim's attack by signing £71m Bryan Mbeumo and £62.5m Matheus Cunha from Premier League clubs Brentford and Wolves respectively. Meanwhile, Newcastle were eager to sign Sesko as a replacement for Alexander Isak, who looks set to leave St James' Park this summer after expressing his desire to leave the club amid Liverpool's interest in him. Launching their pursuit of Sesko before Man United, the Magpies initially tabled a bid worth €75million (£65m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons, which Leipzig rejected, before later returning with a base offer of €80m (£70m) excluding bonuses. It prompted Manchester United to table a bid of their own within 24 hours, worth €75m (£65m) plus an additional €10m (£8.7m). Finally, Newcastle fired another offer of €82.5m (£72m) plus €2.5m (£2.1m) to the German club, which was accepted. After Sesko made clear to both clubs his intention to sign for Manchester United, Old Trafford's hierarchy were able to accelerate final negotiations with Leipzig and strike an agreement. Speaking on his lofty ambitions at Man United, Sesko said: 'Just that we get better, that we connect together, in general, and we, as a team, just try to grow, to grow together step by step because we're getting better. 'We're just even more complete and complete. It's just a matter of time when we can fly high again.'
