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Romelu Lukaku Hits Back At Critics Who Called Him 'Lazy'

Romelu Lukaku Hits Back At Critics Who Called Him 'Lazy'

The former Manchester United striker is thriving in Italy and won the Europa League Player of the Season for the 2019/20 season.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Romelu Lukaku has hit back at critics who said he was 'lazy' when he was playing in England, saying he is now the 'hardest worker' at Inter.

The former Manchester United striker played in England for eight years, appearing for Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and United in that time.

He was fairly successful in England but found himself out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans last year and moved to Inter in the summer.

In Italy he has really found his form, scoring 23 league goals and another nine in the Europa League, helping his side to the final, and now he's hit back at those who claimed he was 'lazy' during his time in the Premier League.

"A year ago, when I was in England, I was 'lazy, I didn't run, I didn't do this and that,'" the Beligan told the Times.

"Here, they call me the hardest worker in the room. If you look at me playing here and there, I mean, there are improvements, yeah, but the [same] Rom is still here.

Lukaku scoring in the Europa League semi-final. Image: PA Images
Lukaku scoring in the Europa League semi-final. Image: PA Images

"Stuff happens in football but it's something you need to explain to the next generation of kids, that you need to have full control over your destiny. Make sure when you go somewhere that every piece of the puzzle has to be right.

"Know what I mean? At the time, we saw the outcome, we saw how I did. And if you look at me now you see a different outcome, you see the full person, you see the full potential. You see what I could have been doing in England."

Lukaku did say that no one at the club criticised him for being lazy, and that he got on with everyone, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who decided to sell him.

Lukaku did well for United. Image: PA Images
Lukaku did well for United. Image: PA Images

But the 27-year-old said it was 'the stuff around' him that became a 'negative spiral,' adding, "They will call me slow and I'm like, 'Slow? Me, slow? I cannot keep up with the fast pace game of Man U? There were too many little things where I thought this is not right. If you call me slow I would not score a goal like I scored the second against Shakhtar Donetsk in the [Europa League] semi-final.

"If I was slow I would not have got the penalty like I did against Sevilla in the final. That's two years after. Are you going to say me at 27 is faster than I was at 25? That's what I'm trying to say. It's just little things. I was like, you know what? Eff this. I'm out."

Lukaku's impact in Europe last season, being the tournament's second top scorer behind only Bruno Fernandes, took Inter to the final and won him the competition's Player of the Year award.

Unfortunately there was no fairytale in Germany in the final, with the Belgian actually scoring an own goal to win Sevilla the title for the sixth time, something he clearly took quite hard.

It was an unlucky end to what was an excellent start to life in Italy. He hit the ground running, not slowly at all.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Europa League, Manchester United, Serie A, Premier League, Champions League, Inter, Italy, Inter Milan