Lukaku offers thanks to Mourinho

Romelu Lukaku has thanked Jose Mourinho for letting him swap Chelsea for Everton permanently in 2014.

The Belgian impressed during a loan spell at Goodison Park in 2013-14 and has scored 12 goals in 16 Premier League appearances this season.

Lukaku offered thanks to Mourinho, who parted ways with Chelsea on Thursday, for affording him the chance leave Stamford Bridge for regular first-team football.

"I wanted to play and get minutes under my belt," Lukaku told BBC Sport.

"I never got the chance to say it but I would say thank you to Jose Mourinho.

"I had one conversation with him a few days before I left and I told him I wanted to go and I think he saw in my eyes that I really needed to play because it was the year of the World Cup.

"He was the one who gave me the green light to go."