- Romelu Lukaku was accused of being overweight at Man United and Chelsea
- But the Belgium striker looks in fine shape after his reunion with Antonio Conte
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! With the Premier League likely securing five Champions League spots, are we rewarding mediocrity?
Romelu Lukaku is back in top shape and weighing in with goals in Napoli’s push for the Serie A title.
The Belgian scored his 10th of the season in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Fiorentina, slotting in the rebound from Scott McTominay’s strike to leave Antonio Conte’s side just a point behind league leaders Inter Milan.
Despite his outstanding Premier League scoring record — 121 goals in 278 appearances — Lukaku was often derided in England for his weight.
It’s been a tricky balance for Lukaku throughout his career and he has, at times, sacrificed pace to instead gain more muscle mass.
He bulked up to help Belgium reach third place in the 2018 World Cup and but then struggled to lose the weight in time for his domestic season with Manchester United.
‘In the Premier League, I cannot play with the same amount of muscle as international football,’ he said at the time.
Romelu Lukaku cuts a trim figure as he celebrates scoring against Fiorentina on Sunday
The Belgian is back with Antonio Conte, under whom he has played some of his best football
Lukaku is weighing in at 99 kilos which is actually three kilos lighter than his ‘ideal’ weight
Lukaku struggled at Old Trafford, managing 28 goals in 66 Premier League appearances under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
A move to £73million Inter Milan followed where he came under the tutelage of Conte — a man he describes as the best manager he has ever had.
Under Conte, he lost 1.5stone in just 12 days as they discovered that his digestive system had been ‘malfunctioning’. The new regime worked wonders and Lukaku fired in 24 goals and provided 11 assists to help guide Inter Milan to the Serie A title in 2021, before leaving for Chelsea in a £97.5m move.
He made a promising start to life in his second spell at Stamford Bridge — scoring four goals in his first four games — but things soon turned sour. In the end, he scored just 15 goals in 44 games during his time in west London.
He was subsequently sent out on two successive loan spells before completing a permanent transfer to Napoli and a reunion with Conte for £38m.
Seven months after his Chelsea hell ended, the 31-year-old looks like he has his weight balance right again (although he says it could be better) and Napoli are reaping the rewards.
Last week, in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Lukaku opened up about his weight and before explaining how Conte had improved his game.
‘In England they had the wrong idea,’ Lukaku said.
Romelu Lukaku bulked up for the 2018 World Cup but struggled to shift the weight again
Romelu Lukaku was accused of being overweight at Manchester United in 2019 but came back to England in 2021 looking much trimmer after his spell at Inter under Antonio Conte
Lukaku has revealed how Conte has improved his game, especially with his back to goal
‘For them I was lazy, but I never reacted to the attacks. I am someone who does his job and then goes home.
‘In Italy the opinion has been reversed, here I am a worker. Now I am better than when I was at Inter. There I was 101kg, here 99kg. My ideal weight is actually 102 kilos.
‘Playing with my back to goal… Conte was very clear: “If you don’t improve this aspect, you can’t play with me.” No alternatives.
‘I have to thank him because what used to be my weakness turned into a strength.’
With both Manchester United and Chelsea struggling to score goals at the moment, they could be forgiven for casting an envious eye over to Naples and wondering why they couldn’t get the best out of Romelu Lukaku.
