Lukaku owes debt to best pal Jose
SOME may think Romelu Lukaku has friends at the FA. His best pal, however, remains Jose Mourinho. When Lukaku scored for fun in his early games at Manchester United, Mourinho insisted his achievements were irrelevant. It was all about team contribution. ‘There is no pressure for goals from me,’ he said. Maybe he knew there would be a time, as there is with all strikers, when goals are harder to come by, and he would need to take the focus from Lukaku. That time is now, with one goal — the fourth in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United — since September. Mourinho’s view remains consistent. ‘He didn’t score — I don’t care,’ he maintained after the 1-0 win over Brighton. Lukaku’s petulant tangle with defender Gaetan Bong suggests frustration, but Mourinho could not have done more to ease his burden. If Lukaku’s place does not survive Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return to full fitness, he cannot say he has not been backed.