Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has insisted that he would work with Jose Mourinho again in the future despite their history at Chelsea.
Mourinho sold the young Belgian striker in July 2014, without particularly giving him an extended run in the side after two loan spells with West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
The Portuguese tactician claimed that the player wasn’t highly motivated, as reported by The Guardian, although Lukaku has since gone on to enjoy better times at Goodison Park and has put their differences of opinion behind him.
It is no secret that Mourinho has been linked with replacing Louis van Gaal at Manchester United this summer, while Lukaku’s father has suggested that his son could leave Everton at the end of the season with the Red Devils and Bayern Munich two options, as noted by ESPN FC.
In turn, the Belgian international has insisted that he wouldn’t have a problem working with his former boss again, and would hope that the pair could do better together the second time around.
“Of course. Some people will say that I need to convince him but it’s not a question of that. Three years ago I was 20 and I wasn’t ready to be immediately effective in a top team,” he told La Derniere Heure.
“Several good seasons, including the current one, have changed the situation. I’ll be 23 [in May] and I could leave this summer.”
Lukaku will be eyeing an opportunity to play in the Champions League next season, and that will therefore add to the appeal of leaving Roberto Martinez’s side in the summer.
Naturally, it would be a huge blow for the Spaniard given the striker’s importance to his plans, but it remains to be seen how the situation at Old Trafford plays out before a reunion with Mourinho becomes a realistic option.
United remain in sixth place in the Premier League table and just a point adrift of a Champions League qualification spot. Whether or not a top-four finish would be enough to save Van Gaal has yet to be determined, but calls for a change would certainly grow if he failed to do so.