Lukaku aiming to put 'difficult' season at Chelsea behind him

Jul 20, 2012 10:59:00 AM

The 19-year-old striker hinted at his disillusionment under Andre Villas-Boas but described the situation under Roberto Di Matteo as "perfect" and is feeling in confident mood

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is eager to prove a point and nail down a first-team spot with the Blues next season after a disappointing first year in England.

The 19-year-old forward arrived with a burgeoning reputation, completing his €23 million (£18m) move from Belgian side Anderlecht last summer, but struggled to force his way into the team and went on to make just 12 goalless appearances last term.

However, he struck twice in the club's 4-2 pre-season friendly win over Seattle Sounders and stated that the display is a sign of things to come, while finding time to hit out at former manager Andre Villas-Boas in the process.

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"Those goals have been a long time coming," Lukaku told reporters. "Last season was very difficult for me.

"But now it's back to zero and if you have a good manager behind you, like I do now with Roberto Di Matteo, it's the perfect situation. I'm confident and sure I can do well."

The prodigious talent had broken into the Anderlecht first-team by the age of 17 and was touted as a long-term replacement for Didier Drogba at Chelsea.

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