Romelu Lukaku received a warm welcome by Inter Milan fans, despite the club's ultra group having announced their disapproval of his return to the San Siro.
The Belgian departed Inter last summer for Chelsea, who paid the Serie A giants £97million for his services. But he endured an awful campaign at Stamford Bridge, scoring just eight goals in the Premier League as he struggled to find a place in Thomas Tuchel 's plans.
With Lukaku making no secret of his unhappiness in London, the Blues opted to sanction his return on loan to Inter. He flew out to Milan earlier this week to complete the final stages of the deal, which was confirmed on Wednesday night.
Given the level of anger from some Inter fans when the loan deal became a certainty, there was little sign of an awkward reunion. Upon landing, Lukaku was taken to the Italian Olympic Committee, who are responsible for all sports management in the country.
A huge crowd gathered outside to cheer Lukaku and celebrate his return to the club a year after his departure. And as they did so, Lukaku found a window and leant outside to wave down to his new club's supporters.
It could have been a much more awkward welcome for the striker, given the statement released by Curva Nord last week. They are Inter's ultra group and warned Lukaku there would be no hero's welcome from them.
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“We invite all Inter fans not to fall into the opposite trap, that of running immediately and drooling after him. We are not gentlemen at the mercy of the moves of players and clubs. We took note of Lukaku’s betrayal and we were very upset. To a footballer these things can be forgiven over time, but they remain,” their statement read.
Lukaku himself has made no secret of his happiness at returning to Inter, a year after firing them to the Serie A title. And he paid tribute to the supporters as he expressed his love for the club.
“It's like coming home. My family and I were so happy here thanks to the people, the fans and my team-mates. From the first day I arrived here, everyone helped me settle in. I'm very happy. I kept my home here when I went to England, so that means something. I'm pleased to be back and now I can't wait to get out there with my team-mates," he told Inter TV.
“It's an amazing feeling. What we achieved here a year ago was fantastic. That goes for the team, the fans and also me personally. Inter have given me so much and I hope to do even better than last time. It's now time to work hard as a squad and hopefully do even better than before.
"The team played really well last season, on another level. It's a shame they didn't win the title but they won two important trophies. Lots of players improved loads. We need to keep it up. It's up to us to make it tough for our rivals. We need to prepare well for the new season because we want to keep doing what we've been doing.”
