At a time when Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is being criticized for having a poor run of form, he’s actually talking about making a move to a currently more successful club. The 25-year-old was asked if he would be open to the idea of a move to Serie A, and his answer to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport was: “Why not? I hope it happens.”
That’s a pretty bold statement to make, especially given all the discord and dysfunction at United that we’ve consistently heard about in the news this season.
Lukaku’s remarks are also especially ill-timed when you consider they come at a time when a match between United and Juventus draws near. They will meet in UEFA Champions League Group H play in just eight days, and it’s a match you can follow online via live streaming at Ronaldo7.net. This past weekend saw Lukaku giving extensive praise to Juve, raising speculation that the juggernaut of the Italian top flight would be his preferred destination.
“Without doubt, Juve are one of the two-three best teams in Europe,” the Belgian said. “They’ve got a great coach on the bench and extraordinary players in every area of the team.”
“Cristiano Ronaldo stands out, but watch out for the others too. Paulo Dybala is already impressive and getting stronger, while I love Douglas Costa. He’s an exceptional signing and his career shows he always makes the difference.”
“Juve have a great project in place and they just keep going. Every year they try to get stronger.”
Lukaku is said to be frustrated with his time at United, particularly with having to play under manager Jose Mourinho. His current boss has a reputation for playing more defensive-oriented football, and that’s not the style or tactics that would appeal to most forwards in the game today.
There has been plenty of discussion that the current game seems to have passed Mourinho by, and the Red Devils struggles this season as only a mid-table side so far seem to verify that idea, but Lukaku hasn’t been doing his part either. He’s only scored four times in 11 appearances and there have been numerous calls for the idea of dropping him from the starting XI.
Perhaps his experience at United hasn’t lived up to the hype that accompanied his £75 million price tag, but he isn’t exactly producing at a level commensurate to the amount that Old Trafford invested in him.
Lukaku would be very interested in joining Juventus, but would the feeling be mutual? We can’t help but feel a bit skeptical about that.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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