Romelu Lukaku could be Manchester United’s biggest weakness in Champions League, says Paul Parker

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has surprisingly singled out Romelu Lukaku as potentially the club’s biggest weakness in the Champions League.

The Belgium international has started well for the Red Devils since his £75million summer move from Everton, scoring five goals in his first five games for the club.

Still, Parker has his doubts over Lukaku when it comes to playing in Europe’s top club competition, where he remains inexperienced and, in Parker’s view, not ideally suited to the different style of play.

United are back in the Champions League after winning the Europa League last season, but Parker believes Lukaku may end up being used sparingly in the competition.

‘There’s a few players in that United squad who have very little experience at this kind of level, particularly in the attack: Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial spring to mind,’ Parker wrote in his column for Eurosport.

‘Lukaku worries me a bit as the most important thing in Champions League football is ball retention and to kill the game, especially if you get a goal in front. Patience is vital. He doesn’t strike me as that kind of player – at least at the moment.

‘It’s a very different task to playing in the Premier League where he is undoubtedly one of the best strikers of the past five years.

‘That’s why I think Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) could play a bigger role in Europe than he does in the Premier League this season.

‘If he comes back in November, December or January – whenever it may be – then when United start the knockouts in February, providing they make it, it will be Ibrahimovic who leads the line and Lukaku will be on the bench, without a shadow of a doubt.’

United kick-start their Champions League campaign at home to Swiss side FC Basel this evening.

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