The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the European football calendar, and with Italy particularly badly hit, Romelu Lukaku’s outburst has seen him at war with his club.
Since joining the nerazzurri from Manchester United, the Belgian has regularly scored goals, and before the season was suspended, he’d registered 17 and two assists in 25 games in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
It could be said that his attacking prowess had, to a large extent, been responsible for Inter’s early charge towards a Scudetto, albeit at the time of writing they trail Juventus by nine points, with a game in hand.
Quite what the future now holds for the Belgian will likely only become clear in the coming weeks, but it’s entirely understandable why the club’s directors are distancing themselves from Lukaku’s comments.
“23 out of 25 Inter players were already sick with cough and fever at the beginning of the year,” Lukaku told Kat Kerkhofs, wife of Naples player Dries Mertens, in an Instagram Live post reported by Mundo Deportivo.
“But we were not tested for a coronavirus, despite the fact that centre-back Milan Skriniar almost passed out and had to be replaced during a match.”
The report goes on to say how Inter’s board were quick to label the comments as “misleading and confusing.”
With Alexis Sanchez thought to be returning to Manchester United after a failed loan move, and Lautaro Martinez seeking a move to Barcelona, per Sky Sports, Inter can ill afford to lose a third striker in the close season.
At the very least Lukaku should be reminded of his responsibilities.