Ex-Lazio Striker Paolo Di Canio: “Inter’s Romelu Lukaku A 25-30 Goal A Season Striker In Serie A But Not Decisive At The Very Top Level” | OneFootball

Former Lazio and West Ham United striker Paolo Di Canio believes that Inter striker Romelu Lukaku can continue to be extremely prolific in Serie A but that he is not quite at the level of a world-class striker.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, Di Canio gave the view that while Lukaku has many outstanding qualities, there are deficiencies to his game that prevent him from making much of an impact at the highest level of European football.

Lukaku left Inter with a reputation as one of the continent’s top centre-forwards after he was the talisman for the Nerazzurri’s first Serie A title in eleven years, but he returns with a much more ambiguous set of expectations.

The Belgian never really kicked on after his big money move to Chelsea, where he could not fit into the tactical plan of the then-Champions League holders, and Di Canio feels that the 29-year-old simply isn’t suited to that level of football despite his undeniable quality in Serie A.

“I’m firmly convinced that Lukaku is devastating in some aspects and in some games, but he needs to improve in many other aspects,” the former striker said.

“The problem is that when you make the step up to elite football, certain mistakes have a lot more weight,” he continued, “and that’s why a player fails in certain matches.”

“This is why I say that Lukaku is decisive here [in Serie A], but not at the level of very elite football,” he continued. “He’s turning thirty years old and still has time to show he can make the difference, even in the Champions League, but for now he is only devastating in certain matches.”

Di Canio predicted that “He can always score 25-30 goals in Serie A. Surely this season will be a big one for the top strikers, and there’s also an opportunity to rest Lautaro and Lukaku.”