Football news – Romelu Lukaku says Zlatan Ibrahimovic training clash ‘changed’ Man United striker

Ibrahimovic, who left United for LA Galaxy a year ago, spent almost two years at Old Trafford and found himself competing with Lukaku for a starting spot upon the Belgian’s arrival in the summer of 2017.

And Lukaku says it was a clash with Ibrahimovic during a competitive training match which inspired him into a new way of thinking.

“Everything I learned from Zlatan was great, from his stories that he told me when he was at Inter, AC Milan, Barcelona and even Ajax, to being on the field working with him, seeing how competitive he was,” said Lukaku, as quoted on Manchester United’s website.

“I remember one training session,” Lukaku continued. “Because we were both strikers, we were never on the same team and, at one point, there was a 50/50 challenge. He went full-on against me!

“So, I learned just to focus, work hard and enjoy it as well. Because he is a guy who you can have a lot fun with as well and having his personality in the dressing room was good.”