Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku insists Jose Mourinho relationship is 'perfect'

James Benge31 May 2018

Romelu Lukaku insists he has no issues with Jose Mourinho after being left out of the Manchester United starting XI for the FA Cup Final.

The Belgium international began the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on the bench due to an ankle injury he picked up against Arsenal last month, entering the fray as a second-half substitute.

After the match Jose Mourinho said his No.9 had told him that he was not ready to start the game, though Lukaku played down any hint of ruction between him and his manager, insisting that he had not looked match sharp in training before the final.

"It was a difficult situation,” Lukaku said at a press conference with the Belgian squad. “Obviously me and the manager had a conversation, he's the one that made the decision.

"But we had a conversation after the game, where we were both disappointed that we lost the game.

"I said to him, 'I'm looking forward to next season', to see the team that he is going to prepare for next year to hopefully challenge Manchester City.

"Everybody is thinking me and the manager has a big issue or something, but it's not like that, me and the manager have a perfect relationship. We had a little chat after the game and everything is all clear."

Though Mourinho's public questioning of Lukaku was notable, the Belgian striker has been one of his manager's most trusted lieutenants during the season.

Mourinho has pointedly compared the target man with the rest of his struggling strikeforce on occasion, including in a defeat to Brighton where Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford came in for heavy criticism.

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