Former Belgium manager George Leekens has claimed that Romelu Lukaku has proved a point to Jose Mourinho since their time together at Chelsea and is now in prime condition to fire Manchester United to success.
Barring any last-minute glitches, the 24-year-old is to complete a £75m transfer from Everton to United this weekend to reunite with his former manager Mourinho at Old Trafford.
Leekens gave Lukaku his international bow seven years ago when he was still an Anderlecht player, but a frustrating move to Chelsea followed in 2011.
Lukaku was sent out on loan by Mourinho and then sold on for a healthy profit though, having scored 87 goals since then, Leekens believes that the prolific striker is now the real deal.
"Manchester United are now getting the complete package with Romelu. It's a special move for him," he told The Sun. "When he went to Chelsea he was 18 years old and at that moment had been playing and scoring regularly for Anderlecht. But he wanted everything to happen too quickly at Chelsea. He got frustrated because things weren't happening as easily for him there as they had in Belgium.
"He would see playing for his country as a release during that time. He wouldn't be getting a game at Chelsea but he still had the same enthusiasm for football and for scoring goals. He was great to have around. We would take him on the bus with us when he was injured and couldn't play because his enthusiasm was infectious.
"He has done everything that Mourinho asked him to do when he left Chelsea. He has become a decisive player for both his club and country. He has learnt so much at Everton and, now he's four or five years older, he has a lot of confidence and is ready to play at the very highest level. He's a much better player and a lot of that is down to him.
"He has always been hungry, always been ambitious and has always worked incredibly hard. Now it's paying off. He's now not just scoring goals, he's creating them, too. There were times when he was young that he wanted to do everything. I remember in training he would also be demanding the ball and always trying to score goals regardless of where he received it. He was obsessed with scoring goals. Now he has matured as a footballer."
Lukaku is expected to undergo a medical in Los Angeles - where he has spent time relaxing during the off-season - at some point on Saturday evening.
Daniel Lewis
