Former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, Antonio Conte, has singled out Romelu Lukaku for praise, saying the striker had the most chances and made the difference during Inter Milan’s Champions League final 1-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
Lukaku faced criticism after Inter Milan’s defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League final last weekend in Turkey as he missed an excellent chance to equalise in the closing stages of the encounter.
The Belgium international is expected to return back to Chelsea this summer after his loan spell at Inter Milan expires this month.
However, Lukaku’s season was disrupted by injury and Inter Milan’s hierarchy has raised doubts over the possibility of a permanent deal this summer due to his fitness issues.
But Conte believes Lukaku, who was a key part of his title-winning Inter side in 2021, still has the quality to make an impact in matches for the Serie A giants.
“Romelu showed even in those 30 minutes in the [Champions League] final what he can do because that was the period of the game where Inter had the most chances,” Conte said at an awards ceremony in Arezzo.
“Putting a player of his strength onto the pitch makes the difference.
“He had injury problems this year, but nobody can doubt his quality.”