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Lukaku talks racism in Italy, Conte's methods and Man United exit

Lukaku talks racism in Italy, Conte's methods and Man United exit

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku gave an interview to Sky Sports UK (via calciomercato.com) speaking about his time in Italy so far, racism in the country and much more, including his exit from Manchester United last summer.

"I think the past year has been a sad one in general, there have been many cases of racism, especially in football. We have to do better, educate people. Education is the key. I'm lucky to have been at school where we had more than 50 nationalities and I never discriminated anyone," he said.

"This is a lesson that I will teach my son, that nobody is different, everyone is equal. Italy? For me, it's a beautiful country to live in and there is the potential to be a great league as it once was, but you have to work together to keep those ignorant people out of the stadium."

Lukaku went on to speak about his season so far for the Nerazzurri, as the Belgian star has so far scored 18 goals across all competitions in his first season for the club. He also addressed his summer exit from Manchester United.

"I had to rediscover myself. The season before was difficult for me from a professional point of view, because things did not go as I wanted. I came to the conclusion that it was time to change the environment," Lukaku said.

"I made my decision to leave Manchester United around March and told the manager about it. The club gave room to younger players so I think it was a win-win situation."

Moreover, the 26-year-old addressed Antonio Conte's training methods and gave a particular example of how the former Juventus and Chelsea manager deals with his players and how he is capable of getting the best out of them.

"Conte is not a person you want to upset. He tells you in the face if you are doing well or if you are doing badly. I remember one of my first Champions League games against Slavia when I played really badly and he told me in front of the whole team. It had never happened to me in my career," he said.

"He told me he would take me out after five minutes if it happened again. We played the Milan derby immediately afterwards and I played one of my best games of the season. It strengthened my confidence and woke me up at the same time.

"Conte does it with everyone, no matter who you are. All are equal. You work hard, you train hard and you play. If you don't do what he says, you don't play."

Finally, Lukaku spoke about the ongoing race for the Serie A title between the Nerazzurri and Juventus and the possibility of Inter being the club to end the Bianconeri's dominance in Italy.

"The people around us are very motivated, but we players in the locker room are focused on the work we have to do because the coach is on us every day. He wants us to do more, encourages us to do more," Lukaku said.

"No player gives up because he gives you that energy to continue. The intensity on the pitch proves it. We are the team that runs the most, we create many chances and we have a great defence because we don't give up until the end. It's nice to see and for me, it was like thinking that my full potential can finally emerge," the Belgian concluded.