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Martin Keown brands Manchester United star Romelu Lukaku a pussy cat after Juventus defeat

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Romelu Lukaku badly struggled against Juventus (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal legend Martin Keown believes Romelu Lukaku is playing like a pussy cat as the strikers struggles continue at Manchester United.

Lukaku is without a goal in his last eight matches for United and was widely criticised for his below-par performance in the sides 1-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.

The Belgian lost possession needlessly and was effectively eliminated from the game by Juventus stalwart central defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

Despite the criticism, Keown has sympathy for Lukaku and insists Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial should take some of the blame for the strikers isolation up front.

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This is a striker who is blessed with brute strength and electrifying pace, Keown said in his Sportsmail column.

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He should be roaring like a lion, but on Tuesday he played like a pussy cat — and not for the first time.

Giorgio Chiellini was imperious at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)

Lukaku was bullied all night long by Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus centre halves. I cannot remember him winning a single contest in the air.

I do have some sympathy for Lukaku. He was not solely to blame for Uniteds defeat. Jose Mourinho got his tactics all wrong and his side looked completely ill-prepared to face the Italian champions.

Lukaku does not seem to enjoy playing as the lone striker. He will not go to press and does not look equipped to make high-intensity runs into the channels time and time again.

United need to get runners such as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial around Lukaku.

I want to see him compete and use his height to flick on balls for those two forwards. Most of all, he must work harder.

Mourinho admitted that he is concerned with Lukaku after a disappointing start to the campaign.

Asked if he was worried about Lukaku after the defeat to Juve, Mourinho replied: Yep. No critics at all, a complete understanding that the player is a fantastic professional that wants to give everything for the team.

But I have to agree that his moment is not sweet and not just with the goals that hes not scoring.

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Also with his confidence, his movement, his touch, hes not linking the game well with the team but hes our striker. And hes a good striker and hes a striker that we believe in.

Could I play Rashford there? But then I dont have a winger because in this moment we are in this difficult situation.

But hes a hard working guy, hes a good professional, one day the goal will arrive and the confidence will be back I believe.