Jose Mourinho has subtly mocked his critics by highlighting Romelu Lukaku’s goal-scoring success as the Belgian striker continues to perform well for Roma.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United forward, who previously played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, joined Stadio Olimpico during the summer transfer window on an initial loan deal.
Lukaku has scored four goals in six appearances for Roma, demonstrating his prowess as a former Serie A champion from his time at Inter Milan.
This has made him a shining light for the Giallorossi during a challenging start to the season, in which they have earned eight points from seven matches.
Mourinho believes those exploits prove that he still knows what he is doing, as critics are quick to point at him enduring supposed third-season syndrome once again in a prominent coaching post, with the Portuguese telling DAZN after seeing Lukaku score in a 2-0 victory over Frosinone: “I thought that I could be held responsible for Lukaku not scoring! At the very least, nobody can accuse me of that because Romelu keeps scoring.
He scores here; he scores at Manchester United and at Inter.
Romelu scored everywhere. Fortunately, I am not a coach who can remove Romelu’s qualities.”
Questions continue to be asked about how long Mourinho will be sticking around at Roma, with a lucrative offer from the Middle East having already been snubbed, but he claims to have the full support of owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin.
He added, “You keep talking about the future; that is not something I need to worry about; my future is the promise I made until June 30. A coach must respect the club owners and not comment on anything.
“I am happy for them that we won today, because obviously the owners want to win. I work for them, I work for the Roma fans and I work for the players. When we do well, I am happy.”