Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku didn’t make it back to Italy for an award following his error, while former Inter fitness coach Antonio Pintus describes working with the striker and Antonio Conte.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Lukaku was expected in Florence today to receive his award from the Calcio Hall of Fame, referencing his Scudetto-winning campaign with Inter in 2020-21.
However, he missed his flight from London and was unable to accept the medal in person.
Meanwhile, former Inter fitness coach Antonio Pintus spoke to Sky Sport Italia, as he prepares Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid for the Champions League Final against Liverpool on Saturday in Paris.
“I have been fortunate to work with these great coaches, who are all real winners,” Pintus told Sky Sport Italia.
“You’d only need to work with one of them to make it a fantastic career as a fitness coach, but I was fortunate to have so many.”
Pintus was credited with much of the work that got the best out of Lukaku at Inter, certainly compared to his spells at Manchester United or now back at Chelsea.
How does he vary his approach for players like Lukaku or Luka Modric at Real Madrid?
“They are very different. Lukaku is a sprinter, he’s basically got the body of an American Football player. Modric is a marathon runner with these incredible surges of pace.
“They are complete opposites, but the training regime has to be one for the whole squad, then you try to work on individual routines, focusing on strength, resistance and pace, but also take their age into account.”
Pintus: “Conte professionista e vincente. Lukaku? È un velocista, un giocatore da football americano” https://t.co/XK8fijj15n
— FcInterNews.it (@FcInterNewsit) May 23, 2022
Pintus is probably the best fitness coach in the world of football. Inter miss him more than Conte, that`s for sure.