Romelu Lukaku: Playing for Inter was my destiny

Romelu Lukaku has insisted that he was destined to play for Inter, though did not credit Chelsea or Manchester United as clubs who helped his development.

The Belgian has returned to the Nerazzurri on a season-long loan just one year after leaving them for the Blues in a deal worth nearly £100m.

Having fired Inter to the 2020/21 Serie A title – their first in 11 years – Lukaku arrived back in England with huge expectations, but did not meet those demands and was granted a return to San Siro.

And he has admitted that he feels it was his ‘destiny’ to play for Inter in his lifetime.

“It was destiny to play for Inter, like for Anderlecht and Chelsea,” he said. “It was what I imagined, Inter and Anderlecht and Everton gave me the opportunity to become the player I am.

“The love of the people and the fans, for me and for my family, I thank them and I still apologise for how I left, but I have to speak on the pitch.

The pressure is there in training. There is always someone always provoking in training, this is the biggest pressure, the rest doesn’t matter. I am focused on the pitch, I don’t read newspapers, I work hard and in the end Inter has to win, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Lukaku is in line to make his second Inter debut on Saturday when the Nerazzurri travel to Lecce.