Lukaku confident he is over post-World Cup slump

Romelu Lukaku believes he has finally emerged from his post-World Cup slump, with the Manchester United striker revealing he had to shed muscle to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Lukaku
FIFA dishes out to clubs $209m from 2018 World Cup earnings
After a promising first season at Old Trafford the 25-year-old has struggled to make an impact in front of goal amid what has been a largely frustrating second campaign under Jose Mourinho.
But Lukaku is belatedly showing positive signs again, having ended his 12-match goalless streak for United at Southampton last weekend and netted at Old Trafford for the first time since March in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Fulham.
The Belgium striker said he did not allow the external scrutiny to get him down.
“I think I just need to keep working hard,” he said. “Me and the manager had good conversations in the last couple of days, where really he told me what he wanted from me.
“And I know from my side I have to do better and I just keep looking forward and improving, trying to add into my game and help the team to win.”
Lukaku said he had not been playing with enough intensity and aggression and had also cut down on his gym work after bulking up during the summer.
“(I added) a little bit of muscle, yeah,” he said. “It was at the World Cup. I just felt great and I think I played great over there, and then when I came back it is a different type of style.
“When you are in the Premier League, I cannot play with the same amount of muscle as international football here in the Prem. That was something that when I came back I knew straightaway ‘nah, nah, I cannot play in this style like this’.
“I had to lose muscle basically, yeah. So you just stay out of the gym, drink a lot of water, and a lot of veg and fish and it helps.”
Lukaku also said he felt tired after the World Cup, where Belgium finished third.
“But, you know, I had the same thing in 2014 after the World Cup when I came back to Everton I was really in a slump after the World Cup,” he said.
“So, now I think I am in a decent level again and ready to go again. Me and the medical staff, we did a lot of tests to see what was the problem. Also I had a hamstring injury, which is something that never happens to me.”

Comments

Libya vs Nigeria: Samuel Kalu reveals Super Eagles’ 2nd leg game plan

Super Eagles forward, Samuel Kalu has revealed his team game plan when they take on Libya on Tuesday in the 2nd Leg of the 2019 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifying fixture. The Eagles head to the game after a 4-0 win against the North Africans in the 1st leg played on Saturday in Uyo. Kalu who scored the last goal for Nigeria against Libya in the first leg following Odion Ighalo’s hat-trick said Gernot Rohr’s men will approach the Mediterranean Knights with aggressiveness. ”We are definitely going into that match with a mindset of get all three points. We will approach the match with the same aggressive way like we did in Uyo,” the Bordeaux star told Allnigeriasoccer. ”It’s not going to be easy because the Libyans want to respond to their heavy loss but I am confident we will get the right result.” “I am well pleased to have scored my first goal for the national team,” Kalu added. ”As a young boy playing football on the streets, I always dreamt of scoring for Nigeria, and...

A history of training ground bust-ups between teammates

The row between Sergio Ramos and Sergio Reguilon during Real Madrid's training on Monday was just one of the many that have occurred over the years between teammates. Some of these cooled down relatively quickly, but others led to the intervention of other colleagues to relieve the tension. Here you can find some of the most notorious arguments that have taken place at training during the last couple of decades. Nelson Semedo's challenge against Neymar frustrated the Brazilian, who exploded against his teammate. After the intervention of Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano, the current Paris Saint-Germain forward stormed out the session after ripping off his training kit. A teammate threw the ball towards Dani Carvajal's face and the Spaniard, enraged by his colleagues' action, kicked it back towards Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio. During Los Blancos' 2006 pre-season, Thomas Gravesen's challenge on Robinho resulted in the latter throwing a punch at th...

Regina Daniels Steps Out In Transparent Outfit

Nollywood Teen Actress, Regina Daniels steps out in a transparent outfit. The newly elected Youth Campaign Coordinator For Nollywood With Humility and youthful zeal for Atiku took to her instagram to share some photos of herself rocking a transparent outfit.

Welcome to hakeem Wap

Search This Blog