Jose Mourinho hails Alvaro Morata, Wayne Rooney, Alexandre Lacazette... and Romelu Lukaku for debut goals

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Tom Doyle14 August 2017

Jose Mourinho says goals are like "oxygen" for strikers as Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, Alexandre Lacazette and Wayne Rooney all made successful debuts this season.

Lukaku scored twice to send Mourinho's Manchester United top of the Premier League table with a 4-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Morata - who had been linked with United before joining Chelsea for £58million following Lukaku's move to the Red Devils - also got off the mark on his debut, but the champions were beaten 3-2 at home by Burnley on Saturday.

Former United captain Rooney scored the match-winning goal on his return to Everton as the Toffees beat Stoke, while Lacazette netted the first in Arsenal's dramatic 4-3 victory over Leicester on Friday night.

Mourinho was full of praise for Lukaku after United's win, telling reporters: "He is playing well, he is working hard. He likes the team and the team likes him.

"Any striker can play phenomenally hard but if he doesn't score goals the pressure is on them.

"So good for him, good for Wayne Rooney, Lacazette, Morata - good for all the strikers arriving in new clubs and scoring in the first days.

Getty Images

"It is always oxygen, happiness and confidence for them.

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

"But Romelu knows me well. He knows sometimes strikers can play very well for the team without scoring goals.

"He knows from me there is no pressure at all. But today he was good, very effective."​

Additional reporting by the Press Association.