“There’s no gratitude” – Knives out for player after manager got him “significant contract at Chelsea”

Romelu Lukaku has been accused of showing a lack of gratitude to Antonio Conte as relations sour at Napoli.

Journalist Massimo Brambati, via Tutto Napoli, is not impressed with the Belgian striker’s behaviour over the last few weeks. He believes Lukaku should be grateful to Conte for getting him a “significant contract” at Chelsea.

Napoli exit looks likely

Romelu Lukaku appears destined to leave Napoli at some point this summer after a major falling out with the club’s hierarchy.

He was the star as they won the Serie A title last season but injury problems this season have limited his presence on the pitch.

The striker then caused a major fallout last month when he decided to stay in Belgium to follow a personal rehabilitation plan. That was against Napoli’s wishes. The Italian champions had ordered the Belgian to return to them for treatment.

Lukaku has now been excluded from the Napoli squad until the end of the season. He is set to be sold in the summer transfer window if Napoli can find a buyer. Brambati is not impressed, stating that Lukaku has shown a lack of gratitude to Antonio Conte.

“Is his relationship with Conte ruined? There’s no gratitude in football,” he said.

“Lukaku owes a lot to Conte. He wanted him at Napoli after a season with ups and downs at Roma, but above all, he relaunched him at Inter, allowing him to then secure a significant contract at Chelsea.

“At Inter, they told me that Lukaku wasn’t always impeccable in managing his diet, so Conte was crucial to his development.”

What happens next?

What happens to Romelu Lukaku this summer will certainly be interesting. At 32-years-old, his career is far from over at this point.

But the Belgian has a ropey injury history, to say the least. And falling out with clubs now appears to be something of a speciality for him.

This issue at Napoli is just the latest, with problems arising at most of his previous clubs, including Chelsea. Will any clubs, realistically, want to take a risk on him? The answer would, presumably, be no.

And with his relationship with Antonio Conte now seemingly burned as well, he can’t even rely on the Italian to bail him out either. His agent has even ruled out a return to Everton. The future, it seems, will be a rocky one for the striker.