ROMELU LUKAKU SAYS he was “scapegoated” during his time at Manchester United.
The Belgium striker left Old Trafford to join Inter ahead of the 2019-20 Serie A season and has scored two goals in two games under Antonio Conte, who previously tried to sign him for both Juventus and Chelsea.
And the 26-year-old feels he was mistreated after falling out of favour last term under United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“Scapegoated,” Lukaku told ESPN FC. “Meaning ‘You. Are. The. Reason.’”
Lukaku feels the time was right to leave United and revealed he has settled in quickly at Inter.
“This could be the team I need,” he said. “There’s the love I have for this area. The love that I have for Inter.
“And it was the perfect moment for me to leave England. I didn’t want to be there anymore.”
Lukaku was criticised for a perceived weight problem, with former United captain Gary Neville describing the issue as “unforgivable” for a professional footballer.
“Normally I have a fine digestive system,” Lukaku explained.
“I digest everything very quickly. That’s how it had been my entire life. But what the nutritionist said to me was it had stopped working.
“I’m good now. My body is in the zone.”
Now happy in Milan, the Belgium international believes the set up at Inter is perfect for mounting a campaign to dethrone perennial Scudetto winners Juventus.
“The group of players we have here is a special group,” he added. “And we have the right leader in front of us take us to the right places.
“Inter is an ambitious club. It wants to get back where it needs to be.
“I want to help them build something here. It’s the right move for me.”
The coach who Lukaku believes will lead Inter to glory is Antonio Conte.
The former Everton man revealed that Conte had been courting him for years, starting when he was 21.
According to Lukaku, Conte said “come play for me,” as he was moving to Merseyside, while the coach was at Juventus.
“In the end, I told him, ‘I’m not coming to you now. But the next opportunity, I will be there’”.
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