17 May 2023 , 08:17
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Thierry Henry has admitted he was left "worried" by Romelu Lukaku's state of mind after the World Cup but revealed he messaged him everyday to check on his mental and physical wellbeing.
Lukaku, 30, endured a nightmare tournament in Qatar after struggling with injuries and missing several chances in Belgium's do-or-die final group game against Croatia. The Inter Milan striker came on for the second-half of their game at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium with Belgium needing to win to qualify for the last-16.
However, Roberto Martinez's side were held to a 0-0 draw as Croatia, who ended up reaching the semi-finals, squeezed through alongside Morocco in Group F. Lukaku cut a dejected figure after the game and was captured in tears as he also broke the dugout with a series of punches.
The next couple of months proved to be painful for Lukaku after he sustained another setback on the hamstring injury he picked up before the World Cup. Former Arsenal star Henry has opened up on the time where he was concerned about Lukaku but stepped in to help and support him.
"He's a pain in the you know what, but in a good way, I was the same," Henry told CBS Sports. "It's always for the good of the team, you always try to challenge everybody. Me, the coach, his teammates, himself.
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"At times he’s very critical of himself and that’s why sometimes he can bring himself down because he doesn’t see the positive side of it. After the World Cup, it was not easy. I won't go into details of what happened, sometimes we would speak to each-other, but he came back.
Romelu Lukaku at the World Cup in Qatar (Getty Images)"This is the first time I see him stand against proper adversity and he is slowly but surely coming back and showing he can deliver no matter what. Even if everybody is against him, and that is the sign of greatness.
"I'm not often worried and that's not my normal reaction but I did it to Rom at the World Cup. Normally I am more tougher than that, but I have changed recently. But for two weeks I was worried because I was texting him every day to ask him how he was because it wasn't easy. He came out of it and I am very proud of him."
Lukaku has worked alongside Henry since 2016 when the 45-year-old became the assistant manager of Belgium. After a three-year spell in club management, Henry returned to the fold alongside Martinez but kept in touch with Lukaku during his time at Manchester United and then Inter.
Romelu Lukaku featured for Inter Milan in their narrow win over AC Milan on Tuesday (Getty Images)When asked about Henry's coaching style, Lukaku said: "Very, very old school, very strict. When we met I was in the last season at Everton, I think. To be honest I told him that I want to hear it from you, give me the business, what can I do better?
"We sat together every day for that training camp for eight days, two days watching scouts of every game, every clip. There your touch was bad, there you did well. It was always half and half.
"Then from there I had my best year in the Prem, from there in the national team I started scoring every game. I'm very grateful to him, he still does it today, I like it. Tough coaches that tell me the real things that I want to hear. You don't want to be pampered all the time, I think."