Romelu Lukaku has spoken publicly about his move from Everton to Manchester United for the first time. United officially announced his arrival yesterday, but the final terms of his contract, reportedly worth £75m) are yet to be finalized, and he was left out of the official summer tour roster.
No worries though, as he’s already passed his medical, and Monday should see Lukaku officially unveiled as the newest member of United (and then part of the roster of course).
“This is an opportunity that I’ve always wanted since I was a child,” Lukaku told ESPN FC’s Alexis Nunes in an exclusive interview.
“When [Manchester United] came calling, I didn’t have to think twice. So I’m really delighted to hopefully be part of their history.”
He went on to extoll the virtues of the club:
“Best stadium in England. The best fans. This is the perfect opportunity. I always said I wanted to play for a team that’s challenging for every trophy that there is.”
He was asked how he would answer those who don’t understand why he chose United over Chelsea, a club for which he once played and was previously though to be the front-runner in acquiring his services. This is the response Lukaku gave:
“I would say, ‘Who would say no to the biggest club in the world?'”
It was thought that Chelsea remained confident they would acquire him, even after United’s bid, which Stamford Bridge would go on to match. However, Lukaku’s agent Mino Raiola, the narrative holds, preferred his client move to Old Trafford. Lukaku said in the interview that Chelsea’s late bid didn’t manner because his mind was already made up.
“My mind was already set. I gave my word, and I don’t look back,” he said.
“I didn’t look back since, and I was already mentally preparing to be part of the team.”
It doesn’t appear that the topic of Lukaku’s arrest in L.A. a week ago, a misdemeanor citation that landed him a Los Angeles Country court date in October, came up in this interview.
However, the interview does cover a wide array of topics, including:
his bromance with Paul Pogba/Pogba’s recruiting efforts, his relationship with Jose Mourinho, what he hopes to accomplish at United/how he’ll do it, how he will go about replacing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and much much more. Read the whole interview at this link and the rest of it at this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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