INTER MILAN boss Antonio Conte has claimed Romelu Lukaku was a ‘rough diamond’ at Manchester United – but the stats show he’s been cut and polished in Italy.
The Belgian star, 27, never quite found his feet at Old Trafford and was often the target for criticism from fans.
How Man Utd Lukaku compared to Inter Milan Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku has been in exceptional form since joining Inter MilanCredit: AFP or licensors
Lukaku actually had a decent goals return at United, scoring 42 goals in 96 games.
But he was eventually sold for £66m by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the Norwegian looked to the future.
Little over a year since leaving England for Inter Milan, and Conte has managed to get the best out of the striker.
And recently, the Inter boss claimed Lukaku came to him as anything but the finished product.
Conte said: “Romelu is a different player to what he was a year ago.
“I always said in the past he was a rough diamond that I wanted to work with.
“He is working and you can see just the way he receives the ball, the way he moves, everything has improved.”
And the stats clearly show Lukaku is finally realising his world-class potential.
Lukaku struggled to find his top form at Man UtdCredit: Mark Robinson – The Sun
In fact, Lukaku has nearly matched his goal-scoring tally at Man Utd in just over HALF the games played in Italy.
The former Chelsea ace has scored 41 goals in a mere 58 matches at a rate of one every 117 minutes.
That’s compared to a goal every 168 minutes at Old Trafford.
Lukaku is also taking more shots per game and finding the net with a higher percentage of those shots in Milan.
On top of that, the Belgian is creating more chances, playing more passes – and at a higher rate of accuracy – while taking more touches per game.
In 2020-21, Lukaku has scored seven goals in just seven games for Inter Milan – adding three goals in just two games for Belgium.
Worryingly for defenders, he’s starting to look every inch the player United hoped he would be…
Romelu Lukaku reveals Man Utd boss Solskjaer wanted him to STAY but ‘I didn’t have the energy’ before Inter transfer
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
