"That guy is really good at football" - Romelu Lukaku heaps praise on Chelsea teammate

Jorginho (centre) with Romelu Lukaku (right) in conversation during a match for Chelsea
Jorginho (centre) with Romelu Lukaku (right) in conversation during a match for Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku's return to Chelsea has seen him add to the number of talented individuals who helped the Blues become champions of Europe. The Londoners re-signed Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club-record £98 million this summer with hopes of capitalizing on his dominating form.

The Belgian was brought to Stamford Bridge to generate healthy competition between himself and Timo Werner. Werner has had a string of underwhelming performances since arriving in London that have hurt his reputation.

In the time Lukaku has spent so far in his second spell with Chelsea, he has discovered a newfound admiration for Italian midfielder Jorginho.


Lukaku praises Chelsea teammate Jorginho

Jorginho put on a show for club and country last season, winning the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award. His performances have also helped his side win silverware. Jorginho added a Euro 2020 winners' medal in the summer to his Champions League victory with Chelsea. He also featured in the Blues' UEFA Super Cup victory recently.

Jorginho was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League last season as well. The Italian scored seven goals, all from the penalty spot.

Jorginho's Italy faced Lukaku's Belgium earlier this year in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. Italy managed to defeat Belgium and then accelerated on to win the tournament.

The Italian was applauded by pundits worldwide and is backed by many to win the Ballon D'Or. Jorginho also became the 10th player to win both the Champions League and European Championship in the same season.

“I see someone like Jorginho every day now. That guy is really good at football, I also played two years against Insigne, who plays at the top of his game. They were all on top. Tactically, we were outclassed [against Italy], but also football-wise. And that hurt,” Romelu Lukaku told VTM Nieuws.

It wasn't just Lukaku who garnered praise for Jorginho. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was equally impressed and recently spoke about his accolade-winning defensive midfielder.

“I think Jorgi is a very strategic player, he can play in advance, knows what to do in ball possession, can imagine what is going to happen in one or two passes ahead. He knows where to help out in short distances and long distances, when to switch the play, when not to switch the play. He has a good sense of rhythm.”

Tuchel acknowledged that Jorginho lacks some of the pure physical ability wielded by other midfielders in the Premier League. However, the Chelsea manager also mentioned the Italian is fantastic when placed within a structure.

“He lacks, if you isolate him or watch him separately, the pure physical ability that makes him the number one candidate to be a number six in the Premier League. But once you have him in a structure, he is very well organized in his game, he organizes all the environment around him, which helps him then, when everything is organized, and then he can show his true abilities in controlling the rhythm of a game.”

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman
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