Watch: Everything that Sky Sports pundits have said about Lukaku
Chelsea against Liverpool is one of the biggest matches of any Premier League season but the build-up to Sunday’s match has been dominated by Romelu Lukaku.
In an interview with Sky Italia, recorded a few weeks ago but aired this week, Lukaku – who has performed fitfully this season – said he was unhappy with his role at the club and would like to return to Inter Milan in the near future.
And the assembled team of Sky Sports pundits backed Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel over the £97.5million signing.
“You’re trying to understand how a player has got to a stage where he’s come out with such a ridiculous and damaging statement,” said Graeme Souness.
“It was totally disrespectful. He’s 29 years old not 19 and he should know better. This damages the football club enormously. It’s like walking into a dressing room and telling the other guys, ‘I don’t want to be with you anymore’.
“Tuchel has put a marker down and Lukaku has more than crossed the line. He has to apologise to his team-mates. It was so offside, it beggars belief.”
Taking a slightly different view, Gary Neville said:
“What I’m looking for now from Lukaku isn’t a sorry. I don’t think he can say sorry if he’s told the truth as brutally as he has all he can do is make this relationship transactional.
“He should say, ‘I said what I said, I stand behind what I said, in hindsight, I should have kept it to myself but I guarantee you I’ll give you my all for the next 3-4 years of my contract because there’s been a large investment into me’.”
“The problem I have with it is Lukaku has done this at every club he’s been at,” said Jamie Carragher. “He’s not shy in doing an interview and dropping a few hints about him not being 100 per cent happy.”
You can hear their full views, alongside those of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, below.
🗣 "All he can do is make this relationship transactional."@GNev2 says Romelu Lukaku needs to stand by his words and prove to Chelsea that he will fight for his place back in the team pic.twitter.com/4g0T30gnbf
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 2, 2022
🗣 "He's 29 years old, he's not 19. He should've known better that this statement damages the football club enormously."
Graeme Souness says it's disrespectful to the rest of the dressing room for the way Lukaku spoke about the club pic.twitter.com/IJpspPlK1U
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 2, 2022
🗣 "Lukaku has done this at every club he's been at."@Carra23 says Romelu Lukaku has previous for leaving clubs on bad terms and is not shy of expressing his unhappiness pic.twitter.com/VcTIRFLf2v
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 2, 2022
🗣 "It's four matches, to spit your dummy out after four matches and you want to go away and back to Inter."@jf9hasselbaink calls Romelu Lukaku disrespectful for his interview about Chelsea pic.twitter.com/nAp2zyhMVh
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 2, 2022
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