SOMETIMES, a transfer just doesn’t work.
Romelu Lukaku’s move to Manchester United is perhaps one of the most high profile examples of that, expectations understandably sky-high following his £75 million move from Everton in the summer of 2017. Prior to arriving at Old Trafford, the Belgian had built a reputation as a devastating attacking force, scoring 71 goals in his last three seasons with the Blues.
He was never the same player at United, struggling first with Jose Mourinho’s negative tactics only to see bad timing affect his chances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Lukaku took time away for the birth of his first child. When he returned, the new boss had built his team around more mobile forwards like Marcus Rashford who could contribute to the build-up play, a style completely unsuited to a player whose best attributes are physicality and the ability to run in behind defences.
League goals since the start of September:
Romelu Lukaku: 8
Man Utd squad: 6Probably a good idea to sell him in the summer #MUFC #Lukaku pic.twitter.com/iyIz6pE0sz
— GiveMeSport Football (@GMS__Football) November 3, 2019
Devoid of confidence for almost the entire time he was in Manchester, Lukaku’s first touch and ability to finish chances deserted him, statistics from Opta showing just how poor he became in front of goal. Taking only Premier League games into account, their figures show he took 138 shots and hit the target with just 76 of them (55%), scoring only 28 goals to leave his overall conversion rate at a meagre 20.2%.
His time at United drew to a bitter end this past summer of course, starting when Lukaku tweeted a copy of the sprint stats of United players in training. He was fined for doing so and told he would be forced to train with the club’s Under-23s, a threat he responded to by remaining in Belgium and working out at former club Anderlecht. The player is certainly not blameless for either that fiasco or his own poor form, but the circumstances and environment at Old Trafford unquestionably contributed to both.
A move to Italian giants Inter soon materialised, and if Manchester was purgatory for Lukaku as a footballer, he seems to have found some version of heaven at San Siro. Antonio Conte had never hidden his admiration of the 26-year-old, trying to sign him for both Juventus and Chelsea in the past only for such a move to prove impossible. Speaking in a recent interview with ESPN’s Bruce Schoenfeld, Lukaku admitted that he started learning Italian as soon as rumours the coach was heading to Inter first surfaced, convinced that he would finally get to play under him.
By July he was already fluent, meaning that by the time a deal to send him to Milan was concluded in early August, Lukaku was ready. He needed to be, Conte hammering his squad into shape as he was determined they would immediately shrug off the malaise that had affected the club in previous years, just as he did at Juve and Chelsea. "The guy can make a team," Lukaku told EPSN when asked about Conte. "It's already like the guys have been there for many, many years together, even the ones who just arrived. It's the strangest thing.”
As a result Inter started 2019/20 on an absolute tear, winning 4-0 on the opening day then adding another five consecutive victories before losing to Juventus on Match Day 7. That loss prompted a frank confession from Conte, admitting to Sky Italia that a large gulf remains between his current side and the reigning champions. “We need to work and there are no shortcuts. We must not compare ourselves to Juventus, they are of another category from all points of view but we have started working to reduce that important gap.”
— Inter (@Inter_en) October 20, 2019
They certainly have, bouncing back from that loss with three more wins and a draw to sit just one point behind the Bianconeri after 11 matches. Lukaku has been essential to that consistency, netting on his debut and already sitting with a tally of nine goals to his game as he looked instantly back to his very best. To put his form into context, the last Inter player to score at least eight times in his first 11 appearances for the club since Brazilian superstar Ronaldo did so back in the 1997/98 campaign.
He has built a fine understanding with strike partner Lautaro Martinez and the duo are benefitting from an excellent side behind them, particularly in midfield where Conte has constructed a perfectly balanced unit. Lukaku’s goal scoring form is no accident, taking 29 shots and getting all but eight on target to raise his accuracy to 72% and his conversion rate to a much healthier 25.6%, a stark contrast to his figures at United (55% and 20.2% respectively) mentioned earlier.
His relationship with Conte is clearly a major factor in those improvements, giving his striker the confidence he was so sorely lacking over the last two years. The encouragement is evident in every game, the embraces they share after goals and wins there for all to see as they finally get to enjoy working together.
"Conte and I are both team players, so when I score a goal, I want to celebrate with everyone,” Lukaku said after a recent win over Sassuolo where he netted twice. It hasn’t been the same story in Europe, the Belgian yet to get on the scoresheet in the Champions League and unable to prevent this week’s devastating loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Inter look likely to crash out of UEFA’s elite competition at the group stage, but they will return to Serie A action at the weekend hoping to keep pace with Juventus at the top of the table as they take on Hellas Verona.
Sometimes, a transfer just doesn’t work, but occasionally a move turns out to be perfect for both the club and player. Romelu Lukaku has now experienced both.
