Is Romelu Lukaku having a great relationship with Jose Mourinho? Is the Belgian striker Happy at Old Trafford? These are the questions United fans have been asking even as the Belgian Striker continues to misfire this season under Mourinho.
Lukaku has now come out to air his frustrations at being left out of United’s starting line-ups this seasons.
The Belgium international was benched for clashes with Everton and Manchester City, playing a total of 58 minutes across the two games, while he was also a substitute against Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Lukaku eventually came on in every game, with United underperforming, though he failed to score.
He has hit the net just four times in all competitions this season, and he has revealed that his conversation with Mourinho has led to him reassessing his own goals as he bids to fire United back into contention in the Premier League.
Asked how he felt when he was dropped, he said: “I was like, oh wow, sh*t happened, but I really had a conversation with the coach about it and I said ‘listen, it’s been a long year and also with the World Cup, I felt a bit tired’. He saw it. He made his decision.
“He said I didn’t look happy. That I was angry. And I said ‘yeah, hell yeah I’m angry. Like, do you think I should smile?’
“And then we had that little chat and then after that chat we just moved on. It was like 10 minutes, and from then on like you know it opened something in myself, like a new fire to go and get what’s mine.”
Nevertheless, Lukaku has become a trusted Mourinho lieutenant at Old Trafford, having played over 50 games in all competitions last season, scoring 27 goals.
And he insists that he would do anything for the ex-Chelsea and Inter manager to ensure that he is successful.
“One of them, yeah,” he said, when asked if he was Mourinho’s favourite player. “Because I would go through a brick wall for him and he knows that.
“He’s the type of coach where he would be honest with you and tell you how it is, and if you cannot deal with that, I mean, that’s a big problem.
“I mean working under him when I’m 24 is totally different to working under him when I was 19. 20. When I was 19, 20, he was hard on me, man, oh sh*t. The guy was tough – I was doing everything so well but he was still tough.
“But now, 24, I understand him. I understand him now. I became better, I improved as a player.”
Asked why Mourinho was like that with him, Lukaku added: “Because he wanted me to be better. You know, a guy like him, he doesn’t want to compete to be number two or something. He wants to be number one.”
Can Lukaku get back to his prolific goal-scoring days under Mourinho?