Romelu Lukaku has leapt to the defence of Jose Mourinho, praising the Manchester United manager’s authenticity.
Mourinho has been under pressure after a stuttering start to the season which has seen United lose two of their opening four games.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Watford, Lukaku has given an insight into why he enjoys working with Mourinho.
“People know a side from him which is he’s a winner,” the striker told the BBC’s Football Focus.
“But what I like about him is he’s not going to fake his emotions. When he’s mad, you know he is mad. When he’s happy, you see he is happy.
“I don’t understand why people don’t like the realness about him. When he’s mad at me I know he is mad at me, and I try to do what he wants so he is happy again.”
Lukaku admits managing modern players can be tricky, and the Belgian prefers Mourinho’s approach to the perma-positive style of other Premier League bosses.
“Sometimes footballers, we get soft a little bit,” added Lukaku. “If I listen to players from back in the day and now, a manager cannot say what he wants to a player because you feel attacked.
“But I don’t feel attacked, because that’s who I am – I am a tough man, but that doesn’t come from football, that comes from my background.
“My relationship with him is cool. He makes me laugh, he makes the players laugh, he’s a real family guy.
“He fights for his players, but he’s real. When you’re not happy, you don’t need to fake your emotions.
“People need to appreciate that, at least there are people who are real in this world like him. Because most of the managers in the league, when they are not happy they try to find a way to seem happy.
“You should respect that he wants to keep his own personality and not shy away from confrontation. Here, he really wants us to improve. He is a normal guy, we get along well. He is cool with everybody.”
