Paul Ince: ‘Tough’ Man United summer signing can cope with the pressure

Paul Ince insists Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is tough enough to cope with the pressure at Old Trafford.

The Belgium international moved to the Red Devils in a £75m deal from Premier League rivals Everton in the summer transfer window despite interest from former club Chelsea.

Lukaku scored 10 goals in his opening nine games in a Manchester United shirt to make a blistering start to his Old Trafford career but has endured something of a slump over the past fortnight.

Indeed, the 24-year-old centre-forward has only managed to score one goal in his last 10 outings in all competitions to raise questions about Lukaku’s temperament.

The summer signing is coming under pressure from Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the larger than life character made his return from a serious knee problem last month.

Manchester United will make the short trip to bitter rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday evening with the Red Devils looking to make up ground on runaway leaders Manchester City ahead of next weekend’s derby at Old Trafford.

Former Red Devils skipper Ince came to the defence of the Belgian forward and backed the 24-year-old to show the mental strength to come through a tough spell.

“As a striker, barren spells are unavoidable. Because it’s Romelu Lukaku, and Man United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, it’s getting highlighted even more,” Ince told Paddy Power.

“On Tuesday night against Watford he was outstanding without finding the net himself. He set up two, but unfortunately you can’t go without scoring for long periods when you’re playing up front for United.

“But he’s tough, so the Belgian can deal with the pressure. He’ll be disappointed that he didn’t notch one at Vicarage Road, particularly when his side has scored four goals. He may be primarily a goalscorer, but he’s a part of the team and contributed to that win.”