- 16 hours ago
‘Lukaku is not in shape’ - Inter teammate admits Chelsea-owned striker needs to get fit
Romelu Lukaku “needs to get in shape”, according to his Inter teammate Alessandro Bastoni.
Lukaku was in action on Thursday, playing 88 minutes of a friendly against Reggina and scoring a goal in a 2-0 win for Inter.
However, it has not gone unnoticed that Lukaku is not in peak physical shape - even from his own teammates.
What did Bastoni say about Lukaku?
“Lukaku needs time to get in shape,” defender Alessandro Bastoni said.
“We are waiting for him and hopefully, he will help us in the second part of the season.”
Lukaku returned to Inter on a one-season loan this past summer from Chelsea, but has struggled horribly with his fitness.
He has played just 256 minutes of club football this season, starting three games and appearing in only five matches in total. He has scored two goals this campaign.
He went into the World Cup unfit, scoring no goals and missing a host of big chances in the 0-0 draw with Croatia which eliminated Belgium from the group stages.
Lukaku was often mocked about his shape and fitness during his two-year spell at Man Utd, but appeared to have put that all behind him during two brilliant years under Antonio Conte at Inter from 2019 to 2021.
The 29-year-old then rejoined Chelsea from Inter in a €115 million transfer in the summer of 2021.
However, he endured a disastrous season, scoring just eight goals and falling out publicly with manager Thomas Tuchel.
His fitness also started to decline and he missed more games for Chelsea in a six-week spell before Christmas 2021 than he did in his entire two-year first spell at Inter.
Inter are now hoping that Lukaku can rediscover his form and fitness from his first spell at Inter ahead of the new year, with the Nerazzurri taking on league leaders Napoli on January 4.
