"I hope he can stay because he can give a lot more to the team... when you know your team-mates you know how to play with them and how to make them look good."
Saturday 3 August 2019 22:18, UK
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov claims Romelu Lukaku has been "unfairly criticised" during his time at Old Trafford.
The forward, who is set to join Juventus in a swap deal which is expected to see Paulo Dybala move to United, has scored 42 goals in 96 matches for the club since arriving from Everton in 2017.
Lukaku featured 32 times for United in the Premier League last term, finishing the campaign behind Paul Pogba as their second-highest scorer in all competitions.
Berbatov, who scored 56 times in 149 games under Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure at the club, believes criticism directed towards the striker because of his performances in a United shirt, has been unwarranted.
"I said it before and I will repeat it, I am a fan of his and I think he is unfairly criticised most of the time," the Bulgarian said.
"For me I think he can stay, when you know your team-mates you know how to play with them and how to make them look good.
"So you need to know your strong side and keep to that. I hope he can stay because he can give a lot more to the team."
Sky Sports News understands the Belgium international is set to sign with Serie A champions Juventus on a five-year deal, worth around £41m over the length of the contract.
Meanwhile, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he is hopeful of announcing the signing of Harry Maguire "very soon", after the club agreed an £80m deal with Leicester City for the defender.
United kick their Premier League campaign off against Chelsea on Renault Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports on August 11 from 4pm; kick-off at 4.30pm.
It's Transfer Deadline Day for the Premier League and Championship on Thursday, August 8 and Sky Sports will be bringing you all the latest news on who your club is signing.
Start your day with Deadline Day Breakfast (6am) ahead of a special Good Morning Transfers show (9am), with Deadline Day - The Countdown (4pm) taking you to the 5pm deadline. The Transfer Show - Deadline Day at 6pm will analyse the big moves before Deadline Day at Ten rounds up all the transfer headlines.
