Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto says Romelu Lukaku is proving himself a locker room leader.

After victory over Slavia Prague in the Europa League, Roma next visit Lukaku's former club Inter Milan on Sunday. And Pinto remined his critics of two past Roma players who made the opposite journey.

Pinto said of the Chelsea loanee: "He does everything a bit on his own. He's a great professional, he drags his teammates and fans along, he's a decent boy, he has a heart of gold and today he's available to play and do his best.

"I always want to talk about the matches, I don't go in anymore. in 'mess', but we who work in football have a very great social responsibility. When some of us fuel the climate of hatred it is a wrong thing for football in general.

"Then we reflect on TV rights, on the place that occupies our football on the international scene, but we forget what we do on a daily basis. Those who speak negatively about Lukaku's choice are perhaps the same ones who defined the choices of (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan and (Edin) Dzeko as wonderful.

"I don't want problems and confusion, I have so much respect for all the experts in Italian football from whom I have learned a lot, but let's be careful what we say and do. Romelu is a professional, he made his choices, he won with Inter and now he is happy with us. I hope we all have a very great sense of responsibility."