Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku could be the most important player on the pitch in Sunday's Manchester derby, says ex-England player Owen Hargreaves.
After joining United from Everton for £75m in the summer, Lukaku hit seven goals in his first eight league games but has scored only twice since.
Hargreaves, who played for both Manchester clubs, believes another element of his game will be crucial.
Man Utd v Man City: Owen Hargreaves tips Romelu Lukaku for key derby role
- Football
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| Manchester United v Manchester City |
|---|
| Date: 10 December, 2017 Time: 16:30 GMTVenue: Old Trafford |
| Coverage: BBC Radio 5 live commentary plus live text updates online |
Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku could be the most important player on the pitch in Sunday's Manchester derby, says ex-England player Owen Hargreaves.
After joining United from Everton for £75m in the summer, Lukaku hit seven goals in his first eight league games but has scored only twice since.
Hargreaves, who played for both Manchester clubs, believes another element of his game will be crucial.
"United will need to get out of defence through Lukaku," he said.
"Everyone said before he came to the club that his hold-up play was not good enough for a top, top player but in the past few weeks it has been much better.
"United need that so they can get players up the pitch. He could be the most important player in the game."
United are second in the Premier League, eight points behind their city rivals.
Pep Guardiola's side boast the most prolific attack in England's top flight, having scored 46 goals in 15 games.
United, meanwhile, have the best defence. They have conceded just nine goals, with only one of those at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho's side adopted a cautious approach in their 0-0 draw at Liverpool in October, and Hargreaves believes they will have to be more adventurous against City if they are to retain hopes of winning the title.
"United have to win," said the 36-year-old, who played for United from 2007-2011 before spending a season at City
"A draw is good for City. How many points are they going to drop over the rest of the season? They've already won the league so the goal for them is to make some noise in the Champions League.
"It is more a must-win game for United. If City win, the title race is over."
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