15/09/2017 15:39, Report by Matt Bullin

Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard has saluted Romelu Lukaku’s dedication in training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton.

The Belgium international has settled in to life at Old Trafford well, having netted six goals in his first six appearances across all competitions for the Reds, as well as playing every minute of the season so far.

Of course, United’s upcoming match will see Lukaku play against his former club for the first time, but Lingard does not believe facing his old team-mates will faze the no.9.

“I think he’ll put it to the back of his mind,” Lingard told MUTV. “He’s come in and already scored a lot of goals for us, so we know what he’s about.

“But, he’s a humble lad and he’s keeping his feet on the ground,” Lingard added. “He’s physically strong, powerful, quick, holds the ball up well and runs in behind for us, so he gives the guy on the ball a lot of different options.

“He’s come in and got his head down and he’s getting the rewards now. He just wants to keep improving and scoring goals.”

Lingard was also keen to emphasise the importance of United’s large squad with the fixtures coming thick and fast for the rest of the month, as well as highlighting Marouane Fellaini as a possible replacement for the injured Paul Pogba.

“There’s a lot of strength and depth in the squad,” he said. “That’s why the manager’s got a big squad – for times like this. It’s great Felli can come on [like he did against Basel] and score a goal and have a big impact on the game with a Man-of-the-Match performance.

“I think everyone’s going to get an opportunity, the manager’s said that, and, with the squad we’ve got, we can afford to rotate. Everyone’s up for the challenge, there are a lot of games and hopefully that means a lot of wins for us.”