Perhaps more so than usual, Manchester United fans will be hoping their players make it through international break unscathed.
Their club’s first game back is one of the biggest of the season – a trip to Anfield for a meeting with their greatest rivals, Liverpool. Currently level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, the game is likely to prove to be United’s sternest challenge of the season to date.
Their chances of a win in this game will be considerably boosted if Romelu Lukaku is avaialable for selection. The Belgian, a summer signing from Everton, has quickly raced to 11 goals for United and linked well with the other attacking players available to Jose Mourinho.
After murmurings of an ankle injury ahead of the weekend win against Crystal Palace, a report from ESPN has now explained that a similar issue kept Lukaku out of training with his national side on Monday.
Belgium, who have already confirmed their place at next summer’s World Cup, face Bosnia Herzegovina and Cyprus in the coming days. It’s unclear if Lukaku will now feature in those games but the report claims that the injury is understood to be the same one that threatened to rule him out of the Palace game at the weekend and was picked up in a United training session on Friday.
https://twitter.com/Jaketaylor95/status/914939613508141056
https://twitter.com/gikapradana/status/914938243417726981
https://twitter.com/Therealaditya13/status/914898715260813312
I have no doubt jones lukaku will start v Liverpool little knocks united not taking any chances with them roll on the derby at JUANFIELD
— Gaz D (@gazMUnited) October 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/Cynically_Red/status/914965547451895810
The ESPN report also mentions that Belgium officials are hopeful the striker will be fit to play in the Bosnia game this weekend, so perhaps United supporters’ hopes of a rested Lukaku walking out at Anfield later this month are a little ambitious.
