Coach Jose Mourinho said striker Romelu Lukaku “needs to feel loved” after watching him score his first goal for Roma.

Lukaku joined Roma on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea at the end of the month 8. Mourinho is said to have had an important phone call to convince him to join the Serie A team.

The Belgian player has not had stable performance in the past two seasons. But Mourinho explained how to make the best use of his abilities after the Belgian striker contributed to Roma’s 7-0 win over Empoli recently.

He also quipped that Inter Milan “has no reason to be angry” with Lukaku because they have countless attack options. The Belgian striker was unable to join the Nerazzurri this summer after a lengthy negotiation process.

Mourinho told DAZN: “I see he is happy. Romelu needs to be happy, feel loved and appreciated. He came here and immediately felt that the team needed a player like him. Obviously he likes to win and that’s Romelu’s nature.”

“With Inter, they have no reason to be angry because they won the derby 5-1 and have an extraordinary squad, with many attacking players. They must be happy for their old coach, who need Romelu”.

Since Lukaku moved to Chelsea for £98 million from Inter Milan in August 2021, the tall striker has come under criticism for his inconsistent performances. He only scored 15 goals for Chelsea in the 2021/22 season and 14 times for Inter on loan last season.

If Mourinho can get the most out of Lukaku – and he can stay in good form – the striker could return to the top once again. Currently, he will look forward to the next match with Roma, which is an away trip to Sheriff’s stadium in the Europa League.