Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has urged Romelu Lukaku to "find the right condition" following a troublesome time for club and country so far this season.
The 29-year-old was hampered with hamstring and thigh injuries during the first part of the 2022-23 campaign and was reduced to just five appearances in all competitions for Inter, scoring twice.
Despite doubts over his fitness, Lukaku was selected to represent Belgium at the 2022 World Cup but he was only fit to feature as a substitute in their final two group-stage matches.
Indeed, Lukaku came on for the final nine minutes in a 2-0 defeat against Morocco before playing the entire second half in a goalless draw with Croatia, a game in which the striker missed several chances to win the game for Roberto Martinez's side.
Lukaku and Belgium ultimately crashed out in Qatar at the group stage – a disappointing result for the Red Devils who finished third four years ago and were ranked second in the world during the tournament.
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Lukaku is currently on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea and a recent report claims that the Serie A outfit have opened talks with the striker's representatives over extending his stay at San Siro.
However, Inter CEO Marotta has warned Lukaku that he must "get back in shape" and quickly rediscover his form in front of goal, with their campaign resuming on December 29 away against Sassuolo.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports Italia, via Goal, Marotta said: "Lukaku loves Inter and we've learned it by spending many days with him.
"We expect something important, he is dealing with a muscle issue, but now he has fully recovered and needs to get back in shape. He must find the right condition."
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Meanwhile, Inter president Steven Zhang is confident that Lukaku will get back to his best, adding: "It's football and during games, there are ups and downs. We are confident and sure that he is working hard.
"He needs no pressure, we wait and we are sure he will give an amazing performance in the second half of the season."
Lukaku, who Chelsea spent £97.5m on in the summer of 2021, has been training with Inter's first-team squad this week ahead of a friendly encounter with Reggina on Thursday afternoon.
Across two spells with Inter, Lukaku has made a total of 100 appearances across all competitions, scoring 66 goals and providing 17 assists.
Lukaku particularly excelled in front of goal during Inter's title-winning campaign in 2020-21 – the season before he departed for Chelsea on a permanent deal – netting 24 times and registering 10 assists in 36 Serie A appearances.
Oliver Thomas
