"I'm glad I had him as a coach: Lukaku has once named Barca boss Koeman among his top 3 best coaches

The Belgian explains the Dutch coach was honest and open and got him straight away.

Even the manager's harsh criticism served as a boost for the striker.

"Yes I love Koeman!" Romelu Lukaku confessed back in August 2019, quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

The Belgian star revealed the Dutch coach persuaded him to stay at Everton when he replaced Roberto Martinez in 2016.

Lukaku added: "He used to be a football player, he gets me. That's when I thought he's honest, he's open. It wouldn't be a punishment to play another year for him."

The Inter man also opened up on the serious criticism from Koeman and how the coach's harsh words affected him.

He continued: "[Koeman used to say:] 'You don't run enough! You're lazy! You got all that quality, but you don't do enough!'

"And that gave me some kind of burning energy!"

Romelu concluded: "I'm glad I had him as a coach. He's definitely in my top three best coaches I've had.

"In the end, we had such a good relationship, it hurt a little when I left. Also when he got fired from Everton, it hurt a little."

Indeed, Lukaku enjoyed his time under Koeman as he managed 26 goals in 39 matches with the Dutchman in charge of Everton.

Last month, Lukaku's former Everton teammate Gerard Deulofeu hit out at the Dutch manager, claiming Koeman gave him nothing.