Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku faced his club teammates Marcus Rashford and Phil Jones back on July 14 when Belgium bested England in the 2018 World Cup third place game. Over the weekend, we learned that Rashford and Jones would be cutting their post World Cup holidays short, in order to return early to United’s preseason activities.
Last night, after United’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the final friendly of their USA preseason tour, we learned that Lukaku will also be making a similar sacrifice to try and help his club team.
“Rashford, Jones and Lukaku, they gave to the group and to the team three days of their holidays so they’re coming back three days early to try and be available for the team,” United manager Jose Mourinho told his post game his news conference in Miami.
He then, seemingly for the first time on this very troubled exhibition tour, sounded very upbeat and optimistic.
“With the fantastic spirit we have in the majority of the players, I repeat, in the majority of the players, we have a fantastic spirit, we go with everything we have to the Premier League,” he added.
“Let’s look at it from a positive side and wait for [Victor] Lindelof, Rashford, Lukaku and Jones, which are going to be four important players for us, not prepared but they will be back and that’s the spirit we need because I think our first two or three weeks in the Premier League — Leicester, Brighton, Tottenham — I think these two weeks are going to be really hard for us because we didn’t prepare for that and that’s what it is.”
Mourinho and United are at a very slight disadvantage in that they play in the very first game of the Premier League season, when they host Leicester City. United are still awaiting the return of three more players in that World Cup third place game- Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young. Paul Pogba, who won a World Cup title with France is still on holiday as well.
Mourinho remains uncertain about when Anthony Martial, who left the tour to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their son, will return to the team.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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