17 February 2024 , 18:35
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Romelu Lukaku has been accused of 'ruining himself' having once been a 'force of nature'.
Former Juventus and Fiorentina star Angelo De Livio did not hold back in his assessment of the Belgium forward, who is on loan at Roma from Chelsea. Lukaku has scored just once in his last seven Serie A appearances with the Giallorossi down in sixth position.
Nevertheless, Lukaku has earned an impressive record of six goals in seven Europa League matches this term in addition to nine goals in 21 outings in Serie A. That has not been enough to convince De Livio of his talents in 2023/24.
The former midfielder believes that Lukaku has become a more limited player and that playing solely with his back to goal will be a detriment. Di Livio suggested his best form came under Antonio Conte.
“Lukaku had other characteristics in previous seasons," he told TV play, via Sport Witness, "He was very strong in depth, you could never catch him, while now he is changing his type of game: he comes to meet you, he only plays with his back to the goal and he’s ruining himself because he is predictable and lazy.
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"Before he was a force of nature, with Conte he was at his best. I don’t want him to be training to only play this game with his back to goal, because a good striker must know how to play with his back to the goal and then attack deep down."
Lukaku joined Roma on loan in August after appearing to burn his bridge to play another season with Inter Milan. Chelsea were unable to find a permanent home for the striker they signed for £97.5million and hope that Lukaku's efforts this season see them earn a fee in the coming summer.
Lukaku has teased a move to Saudi Arabia in the future (Getty)Despite turning down a move to the Saudi Pro League in 2023, Lukaku has spoken highly of the division since. The 30-year-old noted he could 'absolutely' see himself moving to the Middle Eastern league when speaking last month.
He told Belgian outlet HLN : “In the next two years I see this league becoming one of the best in the world, if not the best. The clubs make a lot of efforts to bring the 'big' players here. As a result, the teams and the footballing qualities are improving significantly.”
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