Romelu Lukaku has become a better player thanks to his decision to join Inter, according to Belgian national team coach Roberto Martinez.
The former Manchester United striker is irreplaceable up front for the Nerazzurri and will again start in attack for Antonio Conte’s side when they travel to Udinese tomorrow.
In an interview with WorldSoccer.com, Martinez, who has been in charge of Belgium since 2016, addressed whether perceptions surrounding the national team he has coached since 2016 have changed.
“Slowly, there is an understanding of the Belgian team, but it goes alongside people and football fans seeing the growth of our players in their clubs as well,” the former Everton boss began.
“The moves of Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard to Real Madrid have been very interesting.
“Kevin De Bruyne is a pivotal player at a winning Manchester City side.
“To be able to see Dries Mertens breaking records at Napoli, to see Lukaku going to Italy and Thorgan Hazard to Dortmund and even Yannick Carrasco coming back from China, it has been a real evolution for our players.”
Lukaku joined Inter 18 months ago from United and has been absolutely prolific in front of goal during his time so far working under Conte.
The 27-year-old, who is Belgium’s all-time leading goal-scorer, has made 74 appearances across all competitions to date for the club.
The former Chelsea and Everton forward has scored a sensational 51 goals in that time and also provided nine assists for his teammates.
Lukaku has also formed a formidable partnership with Lautaro Martinez, which former Inter striker Alessandro Altobelli recently described as the best in Italy and one of the best in Europe.