Napoli, Lucca on his own: No Lukaku to learn from under Conte | OneFootball

Lukaku's injury has changed the plans: the young Italian center-forward, purchased for a total of 35 million, finds himself without his mentor and with immediately heavier responsibilities.

Napoli, Lucca without Lukaku: Conte had chosen him to grow in the shadow of Romelu, now he must fend for himself

Lorenzo Lucca had been identified as Napoli's striker of the future, destined to grow alongside Romelu Lukaku, learning the secrets of the trade: ball protection, wall play, space attack, offensive leadership. A 35 million euro operation in total (9 immediately, 26 to be paid in a year) thought for the long term.

But the plan quickly became complicated: Lukaku's injury, which occurred on August 14, deprived Lucca of the most important reference point just when he was supposed to learn by observing one of the best performers in his role.

Conte's words: "Now he must accelerate"

Antonio Conte, aware of the situation, has asked for patience but also readiness from the young striker:

"He must have patience and not get caught up in the frenzy. But I clearly told him: Lukaku got hurt and now he must accelerate, continue to work as he is doing, seriously, and understand how to integrate into the mechanism."

Competition and opportunity

The season will be intense, with close commitments and direct challenges coming. Lucca will have to compete for minutes and responsibilities with Hojlund and the young Ambrosino, but the absences already project him into a more central dimension than expected.

Lobotka's words: "Hard to mark"

Among the teammates, there is confidence in Lucca's potential. Stanislav Lobotka, interviewed by DAZN, stated:

"All the new arrivals have given us something. Lucca is very hard to mark, he has quality and physicality. We are ready to support him."

A season of exams and accelerated growth

For Lucca, what was supposed to be a season of apprenticeship has turned into an immediate test of maturity. Napoli chose him for the future, but the present has already knocked on the door.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.