ROMELU LUKAKU has taken aim at Ed Woodward for not backing Jose Mourinho in the transfer window during his time at Manchester United.
The ex-United striker claimed the Special One would have done far better at Old Trafford if he’d been given the resources he needed.
Romelu Lukaku thinks Jose Mourinho would have done better at Manchester United if he had the players he wanted
Ed Woodward has been criticised for his role in United’s demise
Lukaku left the Red Devils in the summer in a move he claimed was “best for both parties”.
Mourinho signed the Belgian for United in the summer of 2017 and he enjoyed his best form in a United shirt under the Portuguese.
The 26-year-old scored 27 goals in all competitions in his first season and failed to hit those numbers again.
Mourinho was eventually sacked by United in December 2018 but Lukaku thinks he could have done better if under fire Woodward had backed him in the transfer window.
Asked by Sky Sports News which managers have got the best out of him, he said: “I think Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman and now Antonio Conte.
“Jose Mourinho – if he would have had the players that he wanted, he would have done better than what we did.”
Woodward is under pressure for his perceived role in United’s recent demise.
And the pressure really ramped up on Wednesday when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men crashed to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford and fans started singing anti-Woodward songs.
As well as his Mourinho thoughts, Lukaku also revealed he told United he wanted to leave as far back as March.
He added: “I had to re-find myself.
“Last year was a difficult year for me on the professional side because I think it was the year when stuff wasn’t going the way I wanted and I was not performing as well.
“So I had to find in myself what was lacking so I came to conclusion it was time to change environment.
“I made my decision around March and I went to manager’s office and told him it was time for me to find something else because I wasn’t performing and I wasn’t playing.
“A lot happened in that year and it was better for both side to go separate ways.
“I think I made the right decision and Man Utd has made space for the younger players come through.
“So I think it was a win-win situation for both of us.”
Lukaku’s comments may come as a surprise to some as Mourinho spent more than 370m during his time in the Old Trafford hotseat,
Eric Bailly was bought in from Villareal for around 30m, Henrikh Mkhitaryan cost 27m from Borussia Dortmund and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was signed on a free from Paris Saint-Germain.
Paul Pogba was the Special One’s biggest signing when he arrived from Juventus for around 90m before Lukaku came in the summer after for around 75m.
