HE has turned into the striker Manchester United thought they had signed – and the one they desperately want now.
Romelu Lukaku has lost the bulk and the brawn, but none of the goalscoring ability that lay dormant at Old Trafford.
The numbers speak for themselves.
He is the fastest to reach 20 goals for Inter Milan, needing just 29 games.
For comparison, the great Ronaldo needed 31, Hernan Crespo 36 and Christian Vieri 38 to reach the same mark.
In 32 games for club and country this season he has scored 24 goals and provided seven assists, winning 70 per cent of the matches he has played.
And it’s all been done by shedding more than half a stone in just 12 days.
United and Lukaku failed to realise the reason he was so bulky was that his digestive system had been “malfunctioning”, say The Telegraph.
The results of a new diet and conditioning programme were clear when Lukaku took off his shirt and hung it on the corner flag after scoring the final goal in the 4-2 win over Milan on Sunday night.
Look at his waistline.
None of the bloat that was apparent at United is there anymore.
The definition in his arms is clear as he kisses the shirt of the club that has given his career a real purpose again.
In fact, he resembles the Lukaku at Everton, with an overall smaller frame.
It is clear the jibes about his physique riled him.
Gary Neville called Lukaku “unprofessional” after he admitted he turned up to United pre-season overweight at 104kg.
Neville blasted: “He admitted he was overweight! He is over 100kg! He’s a Manchester United player! He will score goals and do well at Inter Milan but unprofessionalism is contagious.”
SunSport told you Lukaku was shown the exit door after being 9lb overweight at United.
But he said a new diet of fish, sweet potatoes, pasta and raw vegetables had worked wonders.
A new playing formation that suits him, a coach in Antonio Conte who knows how to get the best out of him and closer attention to his body and his needs.
Hardly groundbreaking ideas. These are things United could surely have provided easily, too.
How, now, they must be kicking themselves.
