Man Utd Striker Romelu Lukaku Ruled Out of Friday's Brighton Clash With Ankle Injury

Manchester United have been dealt a major blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Brighton this weekend, after manager José Mourinho confirmed that star striker Romelu Lukaku will miss the game with an ankle injury.

Speaking ahead of his side's trip to the Amex Stadium, via Sky Sports, the Portuguese coach confirmed that Lukaku would miss the game after failing to recover from the injury that saw him substituted against Arsenal last weekend. The Belgium international is set to be replaced by 20-year-old Marcus Rashford, who has struggled for game time this season.

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United have already sealed their place in next season's Champions League, so have little to play for in their remaining three matches. However, Mourinho's side will be determined to finish the season well after failing to keep pace with their local rivals Manchester City - who have stormed to the Premier League title already and could finish the season with over 100 points.

Lukaku has enjoyed a solid first season with the Red Devils, scoring 27 goals in 50 matches since joining the club for £75m from Everton last summer. With Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimović now at LA Galaxy, Lukaku has been given the opportunity to take centre stage for his side, and will look to remain their star striker in the 2018/19 campaign.

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In other news, a report from Spain has claimed that neither United nor City have any genuine interest in signing Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti, and that the widespread claims over Premier League interest have been generated to improve his contract negotiation position. The Frenchman has a £60m buy-out clause in his contract, and could yet leave the Catalans this summer.