Romelu Lukaku has revealed what happened when he was dropped by Jose Mourinho, with the Manchester United forward left “angry” by the manager’s decision.
The Belgium international was benched for games with Everton and Manchester City, playing a total of 58 minutes across the two matches, while he was also a substitute against Young Boys on Tuesday.
Lukaku eventually came on in the game, with United underperforming, though he failed to find the net.
He has scored just four times in all competitions this campaign, and he has revealed that his conversation with Mourinho has led to him reassessing his own goals as he looks to fire the club back into contention in the Premier League.
Asked how he felt when he was dropped by Mourinho, he told Bleacher Report: “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 United, having played over 50 matches in all competitions last campaign, scoring 27 goals.
And he insists that he would do anything for the ex-Chelsea manager to ensure his success.
“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 said: “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.”
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United have struggled so far this campaign and lie seventh in the Premier League, 14 points behind leaders Manchester City and seven behind Chelsea.
