Romelu Lukaku took in just 15 goalless appearances for Chelsea during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, but the Belgium international claims that “painful and helpful” experience helped to turn him into “the complete package”.
The 28-year-old striker returned to west London over the summer, 10 years on from first being snapped up by the Blues as a highly-rated teenager.
He failed to make the expected impact with the Premier League heavyweights, but is back a decade later as one of the most fearsome and prolific goalscorers on the planet – with important lessons learned from a testing start to life on the grandest of stages.
What has been said?
Lukaku told Chelsea’s official website of his first stint with the club, which saw him acquired in 2011 before being loaned out to West Brom and Everton: “It was painful and helpful, but I would say more helpful because it gave me the mentality and the mindset that I needed to become the player I am today.
“The team was very good but nobody saw the extra work they did after the training sessions. As an 18-year-old, I saw first-hand every day how much the players worked on their craft.
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“That’s when I knew that was what you had to do to become this type of player. I told myself ‘when I’m not playing, this is what I’m going to do’, and it basically just became a lifestyle.”
How has Lukaku been transformed?
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While Lukaku failed to find the target during his initial spell with Chelsea, he did hit 17 goals for West Brom and 104 across three seasons at Everton.
Those exploits earned him a £75 million ($102m) transfer to Manchester United in 2017, with a further 42 efforts recorded for the Red Devils, before then heading to Italy.
Lukaku became a Serie A title winner with Inter, hitting the net 64 times in just 95 appearances, and already has four goals to his name since returning to Stamford Bridge in a £98m ($136m) deal.
On the progress he has made and how he got to this point, Lukaku added: “I’m much more calm.
“I’ve matured with fatherhood and I’m more laid back. After winning in Italy and knowing what it takes to get there, that really helped me. In the last three years, I’ve been able to build something that I can take on for the rest of my career.
“It can be complicated but when you really set your mind to do something and you really dedicate everything that you have to that goal, you can achieve it. I recognised my little qualities and talent but I also knew what I was not good at and I really spent a lot of time working on those attributes to be the complete package.
“Now, it feels good. I’m very happy with the opportunity and we’ve started really well as a team. My team-mates have made life very easy for me and the coach is doing a great job. Our performances have been good but we’re always looking for the next challenge.”
Lukaku did pick up a knock while away with Belgium during the international break, with Chelsea waiting to discover whether he will be ready for a return to domestic duty on Saturday when a short trip to neighbours Brentford is taken in.
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