Romelu Lukaku Reveals Why He Had to Leave Everton & Main Reason Behind Choosing Man Utd Over Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku has revealed that the chance to work alongside Jose Mourinho again was the major reason behind his decision to join Manchester United over Chelsea.

The powerful striker joined United in a £75m deal after being continuously linked with a return to Chelsea, whom he supported as a boy, during the summer transfer window.

The English giants are set to lock horns at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, and Lukaku exclusively told Sky Sports - in an interview with Thierry Henry - why the allure of learning from Mourinho was the biggest pull behind him staying in the north west.

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He said: "I made a decision in the summer that I felt Old Trafford was the stage for me. Playing under Jose Mourinho was my destiny. 

"Since I was 11, I knew when he was manager at Porto, I knew this guy had something. I followed his career, the way his teams played, and as a young kid I was already being busy with tactics.

"I was like this is the guy that might give me something. So it was Manchester United, it was Jose Mourinho. I could not say no.

"I felt it was the best opportunity for me. For us as a team it will be an important game because we want to keep going, to keep winning, to play without fear, to go forward and score goals. 

"That’s what the fans want to see and that’s the type of team we can be. We have a lot of pace, skill and power in our team and then when we need to fight we can fight. We will go there and try to perform. On my record against the big teams, I think now it is different."

Lukaku's comments are all the more curious given that it was Mourinho who failed to give him a chance to prove his worth during the duo's time together at Chelsea, but he felt it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down.

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The Belgium international also commented on why he had to leave Everton after he had grown "frustrated over their inability to truly compete with the league's elite.

He added: "When I used to be at Everton - and no disrespect to Everton, the team that nurtured me - we were always playing not to lose against the big teams. 

"As a striker, I would play sometimes with two defensive midfielders as wingers. There would be no service, everybody would be thinking about closing back and not conceding first. I would stay on the holding midfielder and we would defend with nine. 

"Here it is different, you play to win and you get more service. The pressure is bigger but it is something I wanted. Now we go to Chelsea and we go for a win. That's a good feeling. 

"Sometimes we would go to Chelsea and be happy with a draw and I would be fuming because I wanted to win."