Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku opens up on the return of potential rival Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 'We need his personality'
- Romelu Lukaku has spoken out on the return of fellow striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- The Belgian admits he knew Ibrahimovic was returning to the club this summer
- Ibrahimovic will want to start games, potentially threatening Lukaku's position
- Lukaku fired a hat-trick on Thursday as Belgium demolished Gibraltar 9-0
Romelu Lukaku has finally opened up on the return of Swedish icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United.
Since the club confirmed the return of the 35-year-old after offering him a new deal, speculation has been rife regarding the impact such a move will have on the club's new prized forward Lukaku.
Concerns have grown as to whether Lukaku - who has started the season brightly - will be immediately displaced by the charismatic forward, who will be desperate to start games.
Romelu Lukaku has finally spoken out about Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to Manchester United
Lukaku has made a blistering start at United, but there are fears he may have to move over
And now the big striker has opened up on the matter, following Belgium's emphatic 9-0 World Cup qualifying win over Gibraltar in Liege, in which he scored a hat-trick.
'I already knew for a while that Zlatan would sign but I didn't tell anyone,' Lukaku revealed to reporters.
'I'm happy. We need his personality.
'I think Zlatan will bring us a lot. I think he has one mission, and that is to win the Premier League, and we're going to help him reach his goal,' Lukaku added.
But the Belgian has eased concerns and insisted the club need Ibrahimovic's personality
Ibrahimovic has been vocal about his return, telling Instagram: 'I come to finish what I started'
After sealing his huge £75million move to Manchester this summer Lukaku inherited the shirt of the iconic Swede.
Ibrahimovic's deal was not immediately renewed at the end of last season following the knee ligament damage he sustained during the latter stages of the Europa League against Anderlecht.
His recovery since has been nothing short of remarkable, with Ibrahimovic himself making a big deal online about the fact he will be returning to Old Trafford.
In one post via his official Instagram page, Ibrahimovic stated: 'I come to finish what I started.'
For manager Jose Mourinho, having both powerful strikers at his disposal is a major help, not a hindrance.
Jose Mourinho views having the two powerful strikers at his disposal as a huge positive
'Zlatan knows me,' Mourinho told the Manchester Evening News, 'and he knows that I play the players that I think are the best for the team. I always did it.
'I always did that in my life so if he comes here and he proves that he is the best, he plays. If the other ones don't give him a chance to prove that, that's life.
'If we progress in the Champions League and if we progress in one of the cups, I don't even say both, if we do that we are going to be in the position where we couldn't do it only with Lukaku and Rashford, especially if I play both together, because if I play one and the other one is on the bench, okay, but I am playing with both,' Mourinho added.
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