Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte says Romelu Lukaku is yet to fulfil his full potential and warned that the Belgian has skills never shown in his career.
Lukaku scored on his debut for Inter, who defeated newly promoted side, Leece 4-0 on Monday night.
He scored his team’s third goal of the game on the hour mark.
Conte heaped plaudits on the forward and claimed that the striker will get better with time.
Lukaku produced an impressive display at San Siro, where Conte’s era in charge started with a win, and the new head coach praised the 26-year-old.
“Let’s not forget he is only 26, he’s got a potential we can work on a lot; I believe that despite the fact he arrived late, we tried to work and he made himself available with great effort,” Conte told reporters.
“Today already Romelu showed what kind of a player he is. And why the club insisted on getting this kind of player. But I am very happy, I knew him as a player, but from a human perspective, I didn’t know him. It was a pleasing discovery.
“He really integrated into the team with humility, he made himself available to the team-mates, and everybody loves him.
“He’s just 26, has margins for improvement, he’s got to work. He must take advantage even more of the skills he has, because in my opinion he’s got skills that he hasn’t shown yet, he hasn’t shown everything yet, in his football career.”
The former Everton striker arrived in Italy for a large transfer fee but Conte believes he’ll be worth every penny.
“Let’s not forget Lukaku cost €65 million to be paid over five years, so when people talk about big money spent, it wasn’t even that much,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
“Tonight, Lukaku showed why we tried so hard to sign him.”
While Lukaku stole the headlines after Inter’s strong Serie A start, Marcelo Brozovic and Antonio Candreva also scored stunning goals against Lecce, while fellow recruit Stefano Sensi was also on target.
