Anderlecht academy director Jean Kindermans has recalled how they managed to convince Jeremy Doku to reject a move to Liverpool thanks to Romelu Lukaku.

Doku signed for Rennes this summer, but not before he could've joined the Reds as a junior player.

Kindermans admits former Anderlecht star Lukaku, now with Inter Milan, helped persuade Doku to stay where he was at the time.

He revealed: “It was a coincidence. Romelu, who comes by occasionally, was in my office at the time. We were talking about the difficulty of convincing young Anderlecht players to stay or sign young with us, like Jeremy.

“He said, 'Boss, if you want, I'll give him a call.' I picked up my phone, recorded his message and then sent it to dad to give him advice from a guy who had gone through an early start. I think it may have played a small role."