LUKAKU'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH MUTV
Romelu Lukaku's first interview after completing his transfer was, of course, with MUTV, the official Manchester United channel.
During the interview, the striker described his excitement at working with Jose Mourinho again and revealed his ambitions for the future at Old Trafford.
You can watch the interview on MUTV (UK and Ireland) or the MUTV app (Rest of the World); to read it, scroll down for a full transcript...
Congratulations Romelu - how would you describe your emotions at the moment?
I am delighted, excited, I can’t wait to start, to be with the team, the manager, and to start a new part of my life.
What is it about Manchester United that made you want to sign for the club?
The history, the players that play for the club and the way that the club is always hungry to win trophies. It is something that I want and it is something that I was searching for. For me it was the perfect opportunity to make the big step and as a club, when Manchester United comes and asks you to play for them then you do not say no.
How pleased are you to have completed the move in time for all the pre-season work?
Of course, it is something that I wanted. I wanted my agent and my former club Everton to make sure that the deal happened before the pre-season, because now I can get to know the players and know how they play. I have worked already under the manager but now it is a fresh start with him. So I am excited to get to know the way of things at Manchester United. I cannot wait to get started.
How excited are you to meet all of the other players here in LA this week?
Yeah I am really excited. I am a really calm person but once I am on the pitch I just become a warrior. I want to help my teammates, and be part of a team that wants to challenge for all of the trophies that are out there.
We can see you are good friends with Paul Pogba – how big a role has he played?
It has been a big role. Of course he is one of my best friends and he is my neighbour as well. We are always together on a daily basis so he would explain to me how things were going. Last season when he signed for United, to have witnessed that, it really triggered something in my brain and I knew that if one day I had the chance to sign then I would not say no. You just know and realise how big the club is, and the hunger it has to win trophies. I would like to say, at the end of my career, that I played for a team that has always challenged for trophies and this is what the club has always done. To be here now is a blessing and I will not take this opportunity for granted.
You obviously know Marouane Fellaini very well too – have you spoken to him about joining United yet and, if so, what did he say?
He spoke to me two days ago and he sent me a message saying ‘Now you will discover how big and how great the club is’. I said to him ‘I have already realised it a little’! To have a guy who plays with me in the national team and one of my best friends in life in my team is great to get to know the players.
How much are you looking forward to working with Jose Mourinho again?
I am really looking forward to it, that is the most exciting part. Me and him, we have a really good relationship and I always dreamed to play under him since I was 10. To have the opportunity at 24 to work under him and to be part of his plans for challenges for trophies is exciting. I think he is a manager to help us to win trophies and I can’t wait to start working under him again.
Speaking of managers, you famously scored a hat-trick for West Brom against United in Sir Alex Ferguson's final game in charge. What are your memories of that very special day?
I remember everything. The way that they dominated us in the first half was frightening! The team was good. Giggs was playing, Scholes was playing, Rio Ferdinand was playing, all of those guys who I looked up to as a kid and to have that moment in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game was good. I moved on forward and now I am part of the club. At the end of the day I just want to help the club challenge for trophies again.
You've faced United at Old Trafford, but how do you think you will you feel when you next run out there, this time in a red shirt with over 70,000 fans cheering you on?
Well I live in Manchester so I pass Old Trafford many times when I want to go to the city centre. One night I said to my mum that I would play there one day. I thought so. I had a certain feeling. It was just the stadium. When you pass it, I am driving but I am looking at the stadium the whole time. Every time when I played against Man United, every time I came onto the pitch, I just felt like a child. You can see the atmosphere, the fans. It was just a blessing and I can’t wait to play my first game over there. I am really excited for that.
What do you hope to achieve as a United player, both as an individual and as part of the team?
Individually, score as many goals as a I can, become a better player, work hard on daily basis, work harder than I have ever done before. That is the thing, I just want to improve constantly. I don’t want to have time to be complacent. I want to become better every single day and I work as hard as I can. If you play for a big club then you have to act like a big player, and perform week in and week out. That is the challenge that I wanted. I am at the age where I have to make the next step. This club is there to help me, but I am a team player and I want to win trophies. That is the most important thing. Trophies before everything. So if I can help my teammates to do that then I will be delighted.
The club won three trophies in Jose's first season - what do you think we can win in yours?
I don’t want to talk too much, I don’t like talking too much, I just want to work hard and prove myself to the people on the pitch by doing the things that I can do. The only thing I can say is that we are going to be prepared for challenging for the trophies that are out there.
We're excited to be back in the Champions League. How excited are you to play in that?
Finally! Finally! I have been a pro for eight years and I have never had a taste of the Champions League group stages. It is something I have always wanted, that competition has something, I want to see how it is and to have a taste. Now to have that opportunity and to challenge to win it is the best thing. We are going to be prepared and we are all going to work hard in these upcoming weeks so we are prepared to challenge for the trophies.
How will the Champions League rank compared to the World Cup and Euros?
Because it is my first experience then it is going to be at the top. Obviously the World Cup is nice and the Euros is really nice as well, but I have always dreamed of the Champions League. With the World Cup, with Belgium at the time when I was a kid, you never knew if you had the chance to win it but now we have a talented generation. But with Manchester United, we can challenge every year to win the Champions League. The club is in a rebuilding process and the manager is doing the right things to take the club back to where it belongs. That is the exciting part.
Finally, do you have a message for the millions of United supporters around the world who will be watching or reading this interview?
I am going to give my best, try to score as many goals as possible and try to win as many trophies. That is what they want. They want excitement on the pitch and this is something that I will try to deliver in every single game.
www.manutd.com