Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has lifted the lid on his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho, saying the Portuguese doesn’t “fake his emotions” and is “cool with everybody”.

The comments, made in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, come after a summer in which the United boss’ relationships with his players have come under intense scrutiny, especially amid speculation of a fractured relationship with star player Paul Pogba.

But Lukaku paints a different picture, questioning the media portrayal of Mourinho.

“People know a side from him which is he’s a winner,” said Lukaku.

“But what I like about him is he’s not going to fake his emotions. When he’s mad, you know he is mad. When he’s happy, you see he is happy.

“I don’t understand why people don’t like the realness about him. When he’s mad at me I know he is mad at me, and I try to do what he wants so he is happy again.”

Lukaku, 25, went on to say that far from there being a tense relationship between Mourinho and the squad, the manager is a “real family guy” who “makes the players laugh”.

“My relationship with him is cool,” the striker said.

“He makes me laugh, he makes the players laugh, he’s a real family guy. He fights for his players, but he’s real. When you’re not happy, you don’t need to fake your emotions.

“People need to appreciate that, at least there are people who are real in this world like him. Because most of the managers in the league, when they are not happy they try to find a way to seem happy.

“You should respect that he wants to keep his own personality and not shy away from confrontation. Here, he really wants us to improve. He is a normal guy, we get along well. He is cool with everybody.”

Mourinho and Lukaku.

The Belgian conceded that modern-day footballers may not fully appreciate Mourinho’s direct style, adding that his generation of players may have gotten “soft” compared to the previous era.

“Sometimes footballers, we get soft a little bit,” he said. “If I listen to players from back in the day and now, a manager cannot say what he wants to a player because you feel attacked.

“But I don’t feel attacked, because that’s who I am – I am a tough man, but that doesn’t come from football, that comes from my background.”