Manchester United defender Victor Lindelöf has insisted he is ready to come up against Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, after playing alongside him at Old Trafford.
The centre-back was talking to Fotbollskanalen ahead of Sweden’s clash with Belgium this evening in UEFA Euro qualifying.
The Red Devils head into the game looking to bounce back from a highly disappointing World Cup campaign in Qatar and looking to get Domenico Tedesco’s reign off to a flying start.
Getting Lukaku back to his best will be key to those hopes, with the striker having been far off his usual level this season amid injury problems at Inter Milan.
That does not mean he isn’t a threat, though, having proved his goalscoring credentials in recent years with the likes of Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan.
That’s something Lindelöf is more than aware of, having played alongside the striker from July 2017 to August 2019, something he thinks can help him when they come up against each other again.
“He is a very good player. First of all, it’s a physical profile,” he said on his former Manchester United teammate.
“He is very strong and good at using his body in the right way. He is also fast when he goes deep. It’s important for us defenders to be smart, not to let him hold you down and twist and turn.
“You have to be smart and maybe let him take a first touch but then be there and not give him too much time. It’s also important to keep him out of the box as much as possible because he’s a very strong player.”
