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Football

10th Dec 2018

Romelu Lukaku explains why he was in such poor form for Man United

Robert Redmond

He was the club’s top goal scorer last season.

Romelu Lukaku has been speaking about his poor run of form in the opening months of the Premier League season.

The Belgian striker has said that he bulked up for the World Cup, and the extra weight he was carrying had negatively affected his performances for Manchester United.

Lukaku has netted in two of his last three games but suffered a dreadful run before that.

Between September 15 and December 1, he didn’t score a goal for Jose Mourinho’s team and had gone 12 games without finding the back of the net at club level.

The striker excelled as Belgium finished third at the World Cup in Russia, scoring four goals in six games. He has said that the extra muscle he put on for the tournament hindered his club form, but he has since slimmed down.

“Me and the medical staff did a lot of tests to see what was the problem,” Lukaku said following the 4-1 win over Fulham on Saturday, a match he scored in.

“I put on a bit of muscle at the World Cup. I just felt great and I played great over there, and then when I came back, it is a different type of style.

“When you are in the Premier League, I cannot play with the same amount of muscle as international football.

“I knew I had to lose muscle so I stayed out of the gym, drank a lot of water, and ate a lot of veg and fish.”

Lukaku also said that he was “tired” after the World Cup, and that Mourinho has urged him to play with more “intensity” and “aggression.”

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