Romelu Lukaku: Jose Mourinho Did a Lot for Manchester United, Deserves Respect

Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku has said former coach Jose Mourinho has his respect and did a lot for the club during his tenure, while opting not to make comparisons between The Special One and interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils' form has improved drastically since the club made the switch from Mourinho to Solskjaer, but Lukaku pointed at the fact the latter's stint has only just begun. Speaking to Eleven Sports (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) he said:

"I'm not going to compare the two managers.

"I believe that Mourinho has done a lot for this club. He won trophies, so I have a lot of respect for him. He is the coach who signed me.

"Solskjaer has just started his story here. I hope that all goes well. I just hope we finish in the top four and that we win a trophy."

The Belgian is one of many players who has benefited from Solskjaer's appointment as far as form is concerned, rediscovering his shooting boots in recent weeks and providing two assists in the last outing, a win over Arsenal in the FA Cup.

The new boss opted to play him in a role on the wing, believing he showed some tremendous form there for both Belgium and Everton:

Sportswriter Graham Ruthven thought it was a great move and previously advocated the switch:

But while Lukaku's form had improved, his playing time has dropped. Solskjaer has mostly gone with Marcus Rashford as his main striker during the team's win streak, which started in his first match in charge.

Mourinho was the man who brought him to Old Trafford, rectifying a mistake from his Chelsea days. He was in charge when the Blues sent him on loan and eventually sold him to Everton, and the Belgian is frequently cited as one of his biggest mistakes during that stint, along with the sales of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.

At Old Trafford the two appeared to have a solid working relationship and Lukaku was a frequent starter, pushing the likes of Rashford and Anthony Martial into a wide role.

Mourinho guided the club between 2016 and 2018 but failed to win the Premier League in that span, settling for an EFL Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Europa League win.

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Solskjaer replaced him in December and has been breath of fresh air. Lukaku previously praised his "total analysis" as a big reason why his form increased so dramatically so quickly, per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail.

While he's still working under the interim tag, the positive results could lead to a permanent appointment. The upcoming fixture list, which looks brutal, could prove vital per Bleacher Report's Nick Akerman:

United will face Chelsea in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-German in the UEFA Champions League. They've risen to sixth place in the Premier League, just three points behind Chelsea and the final Champions League ticket.