Man United star plays better alongside Paul Pogba, claims ex-defender
Ex-Irish defender Kenny Cunningham believes Romelu Lukaku needs Paul Pogba to perform in Man United side
Romelu Lukaku is a better player when Paul Pogba is in the Manchester United team, Kenny Cunnigham says.
The Red Devils signed the Belgium international in a £75m deal from Premier League rivals Everton in the summer transfer window despite interest from his former club Chelsea.
Lukaku, who spent some time with Pogba in Los Angeles in the summer ahead of pre-season, made a brisk start to his Old Trafford career with a prolific return of 10 goals in his first nine games.
However, the Belgian forward has struggled since Pogba’s suffered a hamstring problem to keep the club record signing on the sidelines for almost two months.
The France midfielder returned to the Manchester United team to help the Red Devils win four successive Premier League games before a straight red card resulted in a four-game suspension.
Lukaku has only managed to score four goals in 14 games with Pogba missing for 11 of those fixtures due to injury and suspension.
Former Republic of Ireland defender Cunningham believes Lukaku is struggling without Pogba in the Manchester United side.
“Lukaku looks a better player when Pogba is in the team,” Cunningham told Irish radio station Newstalk.
“Pogba isn’t hitting balls to him at chest height. He is feeding ball into his feet. His weight of pass is absolute perfect. When Pogba breaks into the final third he makes space for Lukaku.”
Lukaku scored 25 goals in 36 games in all competitions during his final season at Everton before his big money move to Manchester United.
Pogba moved to Manchester United in an £89m deal from Serie A giants Juventus in the 2016 summer transfer window.
The Red Devils finished in sixth place in the Premier League table last term but won the Europa League and the League Cup.
