New Manchester United signing Romelu Lukaku has declared himself ready to “go through a brick wall” for Jose Mourinho.
Lukaku trained for the first time with his new team-mates at UCLA in Los Angeles on Monday following his £90m transfer from Everton.
It marks the second time Lukaku has worked under Mourinho, with the pair enjoying a somewhat uneven relationship when the 24-year-old was trying to break into the first team at Chelsea.
The United boss questioned Lukaku’s mentality when he chose to leave for Everton rather than stay and compete for a place at Chelsea but the striker has insisted the pair have since moved on, in an interview with NBC’s Beyond The Pitch.
When asked if Mourinho was a big factor in his decision to join United, Lukaku replied: “Yeah, he was. To be fair, when I was starting to learn stuff about the game I knew that he was the manager I wanted to play for if I ever had the chance.
“I had the opportunity to work under him when I was 20 at Chelsea. It didn’t go how I expected it to happen but we have moved on from there.
“We have a brilliant relationship. He knows that I will go through a brick wall for him.
“I am really excited to work under him and to improve. I want to challenge for trophies and be in the dressing room with great players but also great characters. It is something that I wanted and it is going to help me to get better.”
Lukaku was widely expected to leave Everton this summer after turning down a new contract but it was assumed by most that Chelsea, not United, were in pole position to sign him.
But the Belgian striker indicated in an interview last month while on international duty that his future had already been decided and he says he was already planning to sign for United at that point.
When asked about those comments, Lukaku revealed: “Yeah, at that time I knew. I knew about United’s interest for about a year, a year and a half.
“I have spoken to the manager plenty of times and I knew what to expect. To be part of the biggest club in the world and hopefully to be able to challenge for trophies – that is a dream of mine.
“I am really grateful to have the chance to be part of this club and I am going to give everything every single day to make sure it gets back the glory that it had in the past.”
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