'Lukaku can fill void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic'
With the fee Manchester United will pay for Romelu Lukaku potentially rising to £90 million, the Belgian has been backed to succeed at Old Trafford, as long as he puts in the work...
The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Red Devils and has already joined his teammates for the pre-season tour of the US.
Former Liverpool star and TV pundit Jamie Redknapp has praised the striker and claimed he can replace the goals scored by Ibrahimovic, but has insisted Lukaku must work harder and be more consistent.
'Lukaku will fill the void that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left. They certainly needed a striker. Alvaro Morata was the one that looked like he was going to United but in Lukaku, you've got Premier League pedigree', Redknapp told Sky Sports.
Redknapp pointed out the advantage Lukaku holds having played in the Premier League in recent years: 'He knows the league inside out. He could be fitter, he could work harder, there's a lot more to come from him and United fans will be hoping that Jose Mourinho can bring that out of him. He is a very good striker but he's got to do it regularly'.
However, the former Liverpool and England man insisted that the Belgian must perform at a higher level: 'There are times when you watch him and you know after 10 minutes he's not going to be at it. That shouldn't be the case when you are talking about an £80m player'.
'They should be doing it week in, week out like the Premier League legends Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer. They did it every single game but unfortunately what we think of Lukaku is that he doesn't do it enough regularly', Redknapp stated.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic spent only one season at Old Trafford, but certainly left the bar high for the former Chelsea and Everton centre-forward. Will Romelu Lukaku be up to task?