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Piero Ausilio: 'Romelu Lukaku's disrespect of Inter Milan was unacceptable'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 01 November 2023

Ausilio: 'Lukaku's disrespect of Inter was unacceptable'

Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio says that Romelu Lukaku's conduct towards his former club in the summer was unacceptable.

Sporting director Piero Ausilio has acknowledged that Romelu Lukaku is now regarded as part of Inter Milan's "past" after their fallout in the summer.

Across two separate spells at San Siro, Lukaku contributed 78 goals and 23 assists from just 132 appearances in all competitions, also winning a Serie A title.

On the back of the club's Champions League final appearance in 2022-23, the Belgium international was expected to rejoin Inter on a permanent or temporary basis from Chelsea.

However, Lukaku unexpectedly stopped entertaining a return and was instead keen on a switch to Juventus, which failed to materialise, before Inter quickly cut any association with their recent star player.

Lukaku eventually made the move to Roma on a straight loan deal and has since contributed eight goals from his 11 outings in all competitions.

New signing Romelu Lukaku is introduced to the Roma fans before the match on September 1, 2023 © Reuters

He made his return to San Siro on Sunday, being jeered by the home support as Roma suffered a 1-0 defeat, and it is a topic that will continue to be spoken about in the short term.

From Ausilio's perspective, he has admitted that he would rather move on from the subject, yet he has indicated that he was disappointed with how Lukaku conducted himself when they were in active discussions.

Speaking to Radio Serie A, Ausilio said: "Lukaku is part of Inter's past. And if I have to think about the past, there are great things. The title that we won, two finals that we reached and lost. And then the huge profit we made on him."

He added: "I prefer not to talk about it. I'll just say that in all things, you need proper manners and respect.

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring their first goal on February 18, 2023 © Reuters

"At a certain point, those things are absent. Many transfers collapse, but if you can communicate openly to each other's faces, then it's never a problem.

"If you aren't answering phone calls, or talk through other people, that's not the right way to act. For me, then it's time to immediately move on. For me it's been over since July 8th."

In response to Lukaku's U-Turn, Inter secured the signatures of Marko Arnautovic and Alexis Sanchez to strengthen their attacking options.

Nevertheless, it is Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez who have formed a partnership in the final third, sensationally contributing 15 goals and six assists between them in just 10 league fixtures.