Romelu Lukaku believes “something big is emerging this season” at Inter and was bowled over by San Siro. “I had goose bumps. I missed playing in such a warm environment.”
The striker finally completed his transfer from Manchester United for a club record fee of €65m – payable over five years – plus performance-related bonuses after weeks of negotiations.
He made the idea debut, scoring in the 4-0 Serie A victory over Lecce at San Siro.
Romelu Lukaku believes “something big is emerging this season” at Inter and was bowled over by San Siro. “I had goose bumps. I missed playing in such a warm environment.”
The striker finally completed his transfer from Manchester United for a club record fee of €65m – payable over five years – plus performance-related bonuses after weeks of negotiations.
He made the idea debut, scoring in the 4-0 Serie A victory over Lecce at San Siro.
“I’m always ready and prepare well. For the goal, I knew where the ball would end up: it was a fantastic moment, my whole family was at the stadium. I also knew that we would win, also because we’ve been training really well,” Lukaku told Inter TV.
“Everything was very special. I’ve missed playing in such a warm environment, with flags and a full stadium before kick-off. It was special and I was really excited: I had goose bumps because the history of the club really was perceptible. I thought of all the great players who have played in that stadium, while the crowd got behind us during every piece of play.
“There's the feeling that something big is emerging this season, but now we have to continue working hard, because the road ahead is still a long one. However, the start we’ve made has been fantastic.”
When he first arrived, Lukaku confessed he had owned an Inter jersey with Adriano’s name.
“The first final I saw on TV was Inter 3-0 Lazio at the Parc des Princes (for the UEFA Cup). This is one of the reasons why I’ve always followed Italian football. I’ll never forget Ronaldo’s goal and the skills he showed in that game. What a spectacle!
“And then I also adored Adriano with his great stature and left foot…I really liked him.”
It is said that strikers really test themselves in Serie A against the best defences and Lukaku is already in practice during training sessions.
“Each of them has important characteristics: Milan Skriniar marks you tightly, Stefan de Vrij’s positioning is excellent. Diego Godin reads the play excellently. Andrea Ranocchia and Danilo D’Ambrosio are tough guys, as is Alessandro Bastoni: he might be young, but he’s made an impression on me and builds the play well with his left foot.
“They are all fantastic and it’s very useful to come up against them in training. I want to play against the best, because this is how you can prepare for matches.”
Antonio Conte had put Lukaku as the top name on his wish-list when taking the Inter job this summer.
“Obviously, he missed out on me when he was at Juve and at Chelsea but right now, it was the right timing and the right circumstances for me,” Lukaku told BBC Sport.
“I wanted to discover something else, a new challenge and play for a club that is hungry and ambitious to do the right things, with the right manager we have right now.
“I think we have to work hard day in, day out to achieve what we want to do in the end. We are making the right steps to improve.
“Outside that he is a nice man, somebody who is really motivating you, even when you are doing such hard work on the pitch. It is quite good and everybody is working really hard.”
Alexis Sanchez joined Lukaku at Inter and the pair became good friends at Manchester United.
“It is a good move for Sanchez. He played in this league before. The people here know him. In the Premier League he did really well when he was at Arsenal.
“He has had a difficult time at Manchester United. Coming here was the right move, in a good dressing room, where the manager wants winners who can really help the team. He is going to be part of that.
“He is going to add a lot of competition to the squad we already have. Now it is up to him to show it. I really believe he is going to do well for us. We are here to help him out. Hopefully, he can add that little spark to our team.”