Stoke boss Mark Hughes predicts Romelu Lukaku will break Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record at Manchester United
STOKE boss Mark Hughes hails striker Romelu Lukaku with praise ahead of Manchester United's trip to the Britannia Stadium.
The Belgian has kicked off his Reds career in sublime style, netting three times in as many league outings.
Hughes has predicted £90million man Romelu Lukaku will break the Red Devils' all-time scoring record.
Wayne Rooney leads the way with 253 goals after surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton last season.
United legend Sparky, who netted 163 times for them, said: "I don't want to put too much pressure on him - or maybe I do!
“Romelu’s in a top team and has outstanding players around him who will create more chances for him than in the past.
"Logically, you'd say he'll go close if he gets a good run and steers clear of major injuries."
The Belgium international has scored three goals in as many games for United following his summer switch from Everton.
Hughes, 53, added: "He's the real deal. He's ready to go.
"I tried to get him at QPR when I was manager but he ended up going to West Brom on loan from Chelsea.
"I didn't pitch it too well! Probably because I didn't say he'd play week in week out."
However, Hughes insists that Jose Mourinho's side are beatable despite their encouraging start to the new Premier League season.
The Potters boss has also claimed that he has identified areas of weakness that Stoke will exploit when the two clubs come head-to-head on Saturday.
Hughes remains unswayed by United's winning start, citing how Manchester City started in style only to finish third last year.
He said: "The manner of United's performances is impressive but we had similar with City.
"They couldn't sustain it."
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