De Bruyne backs Lukaku to succeed at Man United

Belgium forward Kevin De Bruyne has heaped praise on compatriot Romelu Lukaku, saying he will succeed at Manchester United because he believes he is the best player in the world.

"The key thing with him is he believes he's the best player in the world. It doesn't matter whether he is or he isn't, that's the way he approaches every single training session and every game.

"If you think you are the best you can never really be satisfied with yourself and therefore you always keep working harder and harder and that's what he does. It's a special player (for United) to have," De Bruyne was quoted as saying by the Guardian on Friday.

The Belgium striker scored once in each of his last two pre-season matches, one of which came against Kevin's team Manchester City.

De Bruyne also mentioned that Lukaku may not be as good as five times Ballon d'Or holder Lionel Messi but his physical capabilities can prove vital.

"He will do very well. Everyone knows what his qualities are and he will do what he has to do. Obviously he has his way of playing. Don't compare him to a Messi. He's a big physical guy and can be awesome," the Manchester City forward said.

The Belgian was the second highest goal scorer in English Premier League (EPL) 2016/17 season scoring 25 goals in 37 appearances for Manchester City after Tottenham Hotspur's star striker Harry Kane who scored 29 goals.

De Bruyne believes he can repeat the same form in 2017 and top the EPL goal scoring chart.

"There's a lot said about these big transfers, people mock him and other players on social media," he said.

"You know it's there but you just can't care about that. You just have to do your job and I think he will score 20-25 goals for United a season and that will speak for itself," De Bruyne added.

Lukaku scored 53 goals from 2014 to 2016 for Everton before switching to EPL giants Manchester United. The former Chelsea player also won the FA Cup with the club in 2011-12.

--IANS

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