Second Time’s A Charm? Lukaku Could Play For Mourinho Again
Reuters / Craig Brough
Manchester United have been a busy club this transfer window. Having already signed defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica, Jose Mourinho is looking to bring in a top class striker next. A number of names, including Morata and Mbappe, have been mooted, but one name sticks out like a sore thumb: Romelu Lukaku.
The hulking Belgian was sold by Mourinho during his time at Chelsea, with the Portuguese manager later going on to slam Lukaku for his attitude, saying he ‘was not motivated in his approach to fight for a place in the team’.
However, then-Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien told MEN Sport that the pair had a ‘normal and good’ relationship, devoid of any animosity and hostility.
While the Ghanaian admitted Lukaku did not quite share the same bond with Mourinho that he did, which he compared to a father-son one, they still respected each other well enough to consider a reunion this summer.
Essien also highlighted the changes in Mourinho’s and Lukaku’s respective careers since their time together at Chelsea, and hinted that things could be different this time around due to a strong collective desire for both to ‘succeed together at the highest level’.
The Belgian especially has transformed himself from budding prodigy to one of the most feared strikers in the English league, something Essien says he envisaged him doing at some point, even going as far as to suggest that comparisons with Drogba were quite rife in the Chelsea camp when Lukaku arrived.
All the latter now needs to reach the very pinnacle of the sport like the Ivorian, is a top manager who can help him reach the next level. And Jose Mourinho, the man who helped Drogba himself get there, fits that bill quite perfectly.
Written by Naren Madan 
Freelance writer with an insatiable appetite for all things football. Up the Chels!