Romelu Lukaku fired warning ahead of Inter Milan return - "People don't forget"
Massimo Moratti has warned Romelu Lukaku to be prepared for a backlash from Inter Milan fans as he prepares to face his former club with Roma.
Lukaku, who helped Inter win Serie A in 2021, returned to the San Siro on loan last season following an ill-fated £97.5million move to Chelsea. Despite an injury-hit campaign, his 14 goals in all competitions helped the Nerazzurri claim a top-four finish while also reaching the Champions League final.
Another season in Milan was a possibility, with negotiations taking place in the close-season, but the Belgian's talks with Juventus prompted Inter to turn to other targets. Lukaku apologised to fans but with no success, and former Inter chairman Moratti has made no secret of what he anticipates as the former fan-favourite returns with Roma on Sunday.
“It’s difficult to make a comparison, but the public doesn’t forget certain things," Moratti told LaPresse (via Football Italia). "The fans are always free to do what they want, as long as everything remains legal.
“It’s something that can disturb players, but I think he can easily resist. Of course, it won’t be pleasant.”
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Inter go into the game top of the table, with Roma down in seventh after winning just one of their first six games. Jose Mourinho's side have won their last three in the league, though, and go into the game off the back of a 2-0 Europa League victory over Sparta Prague in which Lukaku scored the second.
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Lukaku had two stints as an Inter player (Getty Images)Moratti's comments follow a blunt assessment from Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti on August. “Lukaku has betrayed us," Zanetti told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We’re very disappointed. We expected completely different behaviour by Romelu, as a professional but also as a man."
In early October, Inter's Curva Nord fan group put out a statement telling Lukaku to expect a noisy atmosphere when he returns to his old stomping ground. “October 29 is a date we should circle in the calendar so we can be ready to let him hear all our disgust that we feel towards someone who turned his back on us in the most shameful way," the group said.
“A character who proved himself to be a small man, because before being a champion, you must be a man and know how to keep your word. We defended you with swords drawn and you repaid us by turning your back.
"Before the game against Roma, the Curva Nord will hand out 50,000 whistles to be used at every touch of the ball from he who betrayed our jersey. Let us all show how someone who proved himself unworthy to wear this shirt ought to be treated.”
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