Romelu Lukaku needs to feel loved and wanted: AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho
Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal for loan club AS Roma, and manager Jose Mourinho said the Belgian forward is happy because he has joined a team that makes him "feel loved."
In Short
- AS Roma needed Romelu Lukaku more than Inter Milan: Jose Mourinho
- Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal for loan club AS Roma against Empoli
- Romelu Lukaku has struggled for consistency over the past two seasons
AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho stated that Romelu Lukaku, a Chelsea loanee, "needs to feel loved" after scoring his first goal for his Serie A club.
Lukaku joined Roma on a season-long loan from Chelsea in late August, with a phone call from his former manager at Manchester United and the Blues reportedly sealing the deal. Following his goal in Roma's 7-0 rout of Empoli on Sunday, Mourinho explained how to get the best out of the Belgian, who has struggled for consistency over the past two seasons.
Roma's 7-0 home win over bottom-placed Empoli was their first of the season, with Lukaku scoring their sixth goal in the 82nd minute. Mourinho replied, "Happy" when asked how Lukaku felt when he moved to Roma.
"Romelu needs to feel loved and wanted. When he came here, he could sense the team needed a player like him. I think he's really happy. He likes to win - that's in his nature," Mourinho added.
Mourinho also stated that getting off to a good start at Roma would have boosted the Belgian's confidence. "That was no big deal to me. Maybe it was for him - you know how footballers, particularly forwards, live to score," he added.
"He's an intelligent player who, since arriving, has made it clear that first and foremost what matters is that Roma score, not that he scores."
With the win, Roma moved up to 12th place, with four points from four games. They will play Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldavia in the Europa League on Thursday before visiting Torino in the league on Sunday.