This summer saw two strikers, Romelu Lukaku and Wayne Rooney, headed in opposite directions. After 13 years with Manchester United, Rooney returned to Everton. Lukaku, with a transfer fee of £75 million left the Toffees to join his friend Paul Pogba at Old Trafford.
The big Belgian has scored three times for the Red Devils in United’s first three Premier League contests.
Rooney sees the 24-year-old, bought as a replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic (although Ibra will be returning in January) as a perfect fit at the theatre of dreams.
“For that United side, he is the perfect player,” Rooney said in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.
“He is powerful, quick and strong and he scores goals, so certainly will improve that team.”
Lukaku scored one of Belgium’s two goals as they beat Greece 2-1, in a World Cup qualifier earlier today. Some might be a bit surprised by Rooney praising Romelu Lukaku the way that he did there, given how his position as been usurped. The surprising compliments didn’t end there however, Rooney also had a lot of love for his former manager, who United sacked in May of 2016, Louis van Gaal.
“He (Van Gaal) got a lot of stick. I believe if he stayed it would have got better,” Rooney said.
“He looked at all the small details not only off the pitch but on the pitch. I think the one thing he did was keep the standards with the players, he was demanding the best from you every day.”
Romelu Lukaku and the rest of United return to action in five days against Stoke City.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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