LUKAKU COPS IT

... but £75m buy won’t face court over party

MANCHESTER United’s new £75million signing Romelu Lukaku will be spared a court appearance in Los Angeles after an embarrassing brush with the law.

Lukaku was arrested for ‘excessive noise’ during what is said to have been a boisterous party at his rented holiday home in Beverly Hills last Sunday.

The striker was not handcuffed or taken to a station but officers had already responded to five separate complaints that evening. He was given a citation and is likely to pay a nominal fine, with a court date set for October 2.

Lukaku, who links up with his new United team-mates in California today, is not required to make a further trip to America to appear in court.

That means his first campaign at United will not be disrupted and he will be free to play for Belgium during the international break.

The 24-year-old can send legal representation in his absence or, as is more likely, settle with the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse within 90 days of the offence.

Documents when the Beverly Hills municipal code was updated in 2011 suggest Lukaku would expect to pay up to $1,000.

A police statement read: ‘On July 2, 2017, at approximately 8:00 PM, Beverly Hills Police Department officers arrested a 24-year-old male subject by the name of Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli.

‘Bolingoli received a misdemeanour citation for Beverly Hills Municipal Code Violation 5-1-104 — Excessive Noise. The citation was issued after officers responded to five other noise complaints from the same location, which resulted in verbal warnings.

‘These noise violations occurred at a residence in Beverly Hills where Bolingoli was temporarily residing. Bolingoli was released at the scene with the citation and was not physically arrested.’

Lukaku was not named in United’s tour party of the US yesterday as his transfer from Everton, which could eventually hit £90m, was not formally announced at that stage. Adnan Januzaj and Sam Johnstone were other notable absentees as they seek moves away from Old Trafford.

Lukaku revealed Paul Pogba, with whom he shared the Beverly Hills holiday mansion, had helped to convince him of a move to United rather than Chelsea.

This represents an intriguing reunion with Jose Mourinho, who let the striker leave Stamford Bridge permanently in 2014.

‘I’ve been talking to Pogba for about seven or eight years,’ Lukaku told ESPN.

‘And now he’s living in Manchester. I live in Manchester. He lives like down the road from where I live, so we’re together on a daily basis.

‘He was explaining to me how it went at the club and it triggered something in my head. When the opportunity came, I didn’t have to think twice.

‘Mourinho’s a guy who I wanted to play for since I was 10 years old, so now to have the opportunity to work under him again is great. We’ve been in contact.

‘He explained to me how the club was like, what he expects from me. You know, we were together under different circumstances (at Chelsea).’