Romelu Lukaku has come out and defended his manager Jose Mourinho ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Crystal Palace this weekend. Speaking to Bleacher Report the Belgian forward said:“I think he has a good relationship with the players.
“I don’t really pay attention to what his relationship is with the other players, to be honest. I don’t think it’s something that should affect me.
“If he [Mourinho] has an argument with somebody I mean, deal with it, man. You’re a grown-a** man, deal with it.”
Lukaku has perhaps surprisingly taken Mourinho’s side on this issue given he has been dropped from the Manchester United starting XI in recent weeks.
He comes across as a mature individual in this snippet and seems like he is focussed on getting back into fold under Mourinho.
He does believe other players need to deal with the criticism they receive from the iconic Portuguese boss:
“I don’t really pay attention to what his relationship is with the other players, to be honest. I don’t think it’s something that should affect me.
“If he [Mourinho] has an argument with somebody I mean, deal with it, man. You’re a grown-a** man, deal with it.”
Several United players have had public falling outs with Mourinho including Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. But Lukaku believes Mourinho is right with the criticism he dishes out. Lukaku could be welcomed back into the starting XI against Crystal Palace despite United’s recent good form.
The Belgian won a penalty in the Manchester Derby just minutes after coming off the bench and will hope to have done enough to force his way back into the starting eleven.
Mourinho explained why he was dropped a few weeks ago: “The reason is that he’s playing lots of matches and lately, not just not scoring goals but mentally, he is not showing lots of confidence.”
“Sometimes we decide that the best thing for the player is not to be on the pitch, is to be protected and away from the initial pressure.”
Manchester United will be at home to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League fixture.