Carrick confident Lukaku will deliver at United

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is unwilling to put too much pressure on Romelu Lukaku, but said his team would be relying heavily on the striker.

Lukaku, 24, completed his move to United from Everton for a reported £75million on Monday.

The Belgium international heads to Old Trafford on the back of a 25-goal Premier League season and arrives as Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s replacement.

Carrick is sure Lukaku will deliver at United, but wants his team-mates to provide plenty of support.

“You don’t want to look to put everything on his shoulders, but that is why he has been brought here – to help at that end of the pitch, to score and create goals,” he told MUTV.

“As a team and as attacking players everybody needs to chip in to score goals and share the load a little bit, to take the pressure off the individuals.

“But of course, he is going to be the [main] one we look to for scoring goals and I am sure he will.”

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Lukaku has managed to score at least 10 league goals in the past five seasons, giving United some much-needed firepower after they were the lowest scoring of the top seven teams in 2016-17.

Carrick, 35, is glad he no longer has to face the Belgian, saying: “I have tried to tackle him a few times and got nowhere near him, so at least I won’t have to do that too often.

“Listen, you have seen what he can bring to us. He is a big guy, he has got a big presence and he scores goals.

“That is what we are going to need from him, that is what he is going to bring and I am sure he will have a great time here.”