Sivasspor forward Arouna Kone revealed how he taught Inter striker Romelu Lukaku to ‘hold up the ball’ during their time together at Everton.
The 37-year-old Ivorian played with Lukaku at Everton between 2013 and 2017 and spoke about the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker’s eagerness to learn during his time at Goodison Park.
Lukaku moved to Inter from Manchester United in August 2019 and has impressed in front of goal for the Nerazzurri, scoring 59 times in 85 competitive games since his transfer to Italy.
Sivasspor forward Arouna Kone revealed how he taught Inter striker Romelu Lukaku to ‘hold up the ball’ during their time together at Everton.
The 37-year-old Ivorian played with Lukaku at Everton between 2013 and 2017 and spoke about the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker’s eagerness to learn during his time at Goodison Park.
Lukaku moved to Inter from Manchester United in August 2019 and has impressed in front of goal for the Nerazzurri, scoring 59 times in 85 competitive games since his transfer to Italy.
“I played for a long time with Lukaku at Everton,” Kone told Belgian outlet Voetbal International. “He was able to run and dribble fast from the start, but strangely enough he wasn’t very good at holding up the ball well.
“I regularly showed him how to use his body correctly. Lukaku was just a student and wanted to learn from the experienced players.”
Kone explained that he ‘understood’ the Belgium international would ‘lead the way’ after seeing how he dealt with Leicester centre-back Wes Morgan in the Premier League.
“We were playing against Leicester City, who had a big bear in Wes Morgan in defence,” Kone continued.
“I spoke to Lukaku ahead of the game and told him: ‘This is going to be a tough game for us against Morgan, it’s impossible to get past him.
“Lukaku looked at me and said: ‘Be careful’. And he was phenomenal in that match.
“He collided with Morgan, who fell to the ground as Lukaku took off with the ball and scored. From that point on, I understood that Lukaku was a player who would lead the way.”