Former Man Utd striker Andy Cole knows all about scoring goals for the club, and he has been impressed with Romelu Lukaku’s impact at Old Trafford.
Cole spent eight seasons with the Red Devils, scoring 121 goals in 275 appearances while winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.
In turn, he knows what it takes to succeed as a striker at Old Trafford, and what is required around the forwards to allow them to flourish.
Speaking about the current group, he was full of praise for Lukaku, who has 26 goals in 45 games this season and counting, although he hasn’t been left too impressed about those deployed around the Belgian international it seems.
“It’s difficult to be a lone striker and especially if you don’t get the service… it could be described as the graveyard shift because it is tough,” he told the club’s official site.
“He has played the majority of games (this season) and that says a lot about him. He has not been injured and, for his first season, I think he has been top drawer.
“Sometimes people have questioned Romelu and said he hasn’t done this or that, but you have to be brutally honest: if you don’t get the service as a lone man it is tough.”
That isn’t a particularly glowing reference for the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Juan Mata, albeit they haven’t all been used as much as many would have liked by Jose Mourinho this season.
For Cole though, he’s certainly impressed with Lukaku’s start to life as a Man Utd player…