Antonio Conte has praised Romelu Lukaku for already showing exactly why Inter Milan were so determined to sign him in the summer transfer window.
Former Manchester United forward Lukaku netted a debut goal for Inter on Monday night as they began the new Serie A season with a comfortable 4-0 win against Lecce.
The Belgian forward played the entire 90 minutes during Inter's win in their opening match of the new campaign, and Conte was full of praise for the new attacking arrival.
Inter paid a club record fee of £74m for the 26-year-old, but speaking after the opening win Conte quoted a different price when justifying the pursuit of Lukaku.
“We paid €65 million across five years for Lukaku, which isn’t an exaggerated price," Conte told Sky in Italy. "Tonight he showed what kind of player he is and why we were so determined to sign him.”
The former Chelsea manager got off to the perfect start as Inter manager with the win, but he knows there is plenty more work to do.
"Lukaku stepped into the Inter world in the best possible way, with great humility," Conte told DAZN .
"He is a gentle giant, he always has a smile on his face. He is ready to work for the team and is at the disposal of his team-mates.
"I also want to highlight that Lautaro Martinez also played very well and everyone deserves praise.
"It was only the first game, so we can celebrate until midnight, but from tomorrow we have to start thinking about the next match with Cagliari."
