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It is no secret that Jose Mourinho has had a few rifts with his players, to say the least. However, whilst almost everyone is pointing the finger at the Manchester United boss, Romelu Lukaku’s recent comments suggest that it may be the players in question who are the issue…
What did the Belgian say?
When asked how his previous spell under Mourinho at Chelsea went, Lukaku told Bleacher Report, “Working under him when I was 24 was totally different to working under him when I was 19, 20. When I was 19, 20, it was hard on me. The guy was tough. I was doing everything so well, but he was still tough.
“But now, at 24, I understand him. I understand him now. I became better. I improved as a player.”
Interestingly, most of Mourinho’s differences tend to be with the younger players within his squad, such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw. If the Belgian international’s words are anything to go by, it is the players who aren’t getting the message.
What do Lukaku’s words suggest?
At Chelsea, the 25-year-old made just 15 appearances across his three seasons at Stamford Bridge, whilst also spending time on loan at West Brom and Everton.
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It was Mourinho who sold a then 21-year-old Lukaku to the Toffees for £28m, seemingly washing his hands with the striker who he appeared to have little faith in. It is telling, however, that the same manager splashed out around £75m to be reunited with him at Old Trafford.
As the former Anderlecht striker grew older, in his own words, he ‘understands’ Mourinho now. Rashford is 21. Martial is 22. Shaw is 23. They will undoubtedly mature into even better players, perhaps even world class players – the issue right now, however, seems to be that the players aren’t taking criticism in the way that the boss wants them too, according to Lukaku anyway.
This notion of tough love could also be great news and offer hope to Paul Pogba and summer addition Fred, who are still yet to really consistently shine under their Portuguese manager.
