Romelu Lukaku lost half a stone at Inter Milan after the club discovered a problem with his digestive system – an issue Manchester United failed to spot.
The Belgian striker looks in the shape of his life as he prepares for another spell in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Lukaku, who recently penned a five-year deal with his former club, took part in an open training day on Wednesday morning in front of thousands of fans at Stamford Bridge, which has once again brought discussion about his body transformation.
This Lukaku transformation is incredible man. Everyone knows he isn’t the same player he once was at United.. pic.twitter.com/VzQxRD3cFB
— Conn (@ConnCFC) August 17, 2021
During his spell at Manchester United, the 28-year-old came under criticism for his lack of fitness. In fact, Lukaku admitted he was overweight shortly after leaving Old Trafford before pointing at a digestive issue.
He explained that after being sent for tests following his move to the Italian club, a nutritionist spotted the problem that he or United failed to spot.
“Normally I have a fine digestive system,” the striker told ESPN. “I digest everything very quickly. That’s how it had been my entire life. But what the nutritionist said to me was, it had stopped working.”
His digestive system was malfunctioning but after being told to change his diet, he started eating mainly fish, sweet potatoes, shiitake pasta and vegetables.
In the space of 12 days, the Belgian striker lost a serious amount of weight and now, as you can see in footage from Chelsea‘s recent training session, Lukaku looks in tip-top condition.
🔵 Fans get their first glimpse at Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea’s open training day pic.twitter.com/1qKwvg7BDZ
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 18, 2021
Lukaku has since confirmed that he is ready to start for Chelsea in their upcoming clash against Arsenal on Saturday.
“Yes I’ve been training,” he confirmed after being asked if he can start against Mikel Arteta‘s side at the weekend. “I did a full pre-season, now I try to get my teammates better, at the end of the day I’m available for the manager if he wants me.”
🗣”I am available for the manager if he wants me to play.”
Romelu Lukaku says he is ready to feature for Chelsea ahead of their London derby clash against Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/19Au9eC8WO
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 18, 2021
After the signing was announced, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel explained how eager Lukaku was to rejoin his former club.
“He was super hungry,” the German said. “He did everything to take this chance to make it happen. Of course he had a huge impact at Inter: he was a huge player with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, winning a big [Serie A] title for Inter last season. So it was actually very important to us that it was his desire to rejoin Chelsea and to finish his story here in the way that he wanted for himself.
“We have a very strong group, defined by a very strong bond and with a certain attitude to be ready to help each other out. We think that Romelu, coming through here and always having Chelsea in his heart, is the perfect addition because he embodies all that.”
“The conversation was really clear from him [Tuchel], that he wants me to be a presence and a leader in the team. I have to just use all my abilities to make sure I can help the team as much as possible.”
– Romelu Lukaku pic.twitter.com/A8TsrDvCGW
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) August 16, 2021
Thoughts on the addition of Lukaku to the Chelsea squad? Can he help them clinch the Premier League title this season?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: PA/@footballdaily