Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku 'will be fine' to face Liverpool, says Jan Vertonghen

Lukaku had been struggling with an ankle problem but proved his fitness against Cyprus earlier this week.

Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku "will be fine" to face Liverpool on Saturday (14 October) after recovering from an ankle problem, according to his Belgium teammate and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.

Lukaku had been suffering from an ankle issue in recent days and was forced to sit out of Belgium's 4-3 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, but the former Everton hitman proved he was over the knock by scoring in his country's 4-0 win over Cyprus in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday [10 October].

The 24-year-old did not seem to suffer any ill effects from his involvement against the Cypriots, and Vertonghen, who broke Belgium's appearance record when he earned his 97th cap for the Red Devils on Tuesday, expects to see his compatriot line up for United against Liverpool at Anfield, a place where he has not scored for over four years.

"The goal he got against Cyprus was so typical, a ball in behind and he brushed defenders off and smashed the ball into the net," Vertonghen told Goal. "I am sure he will be fine for Manchester United at the weekend.

"He used the first week with us to get fit. He was injured, I spoke to him and his ankle wasn't in good shape but he has used the time well to recover and he is back and fit again."

Lukaku has been in scintillating form for United this season, scoring 11 times in just 10 matches, and will be looking to extend his impressive tally against a rather porous Liverpool backline that has conceded 20 goals in 12 matches.

His availability for the clash against Liverpool will no doubt please United fans, who will also be buoyed by the news regarding Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

French midfielder Pogba has returned to light training after suffering a hamstring problem in United's Champions League victory over Basel last month, while forward Ibrahimovic is set to return to full training in November and could make his return to first-team action before the end of the year.

Pogba and Ibrahimovic are nearing returns, but it is not yet known how long Marouane Fellaini will spend on the sidelines after the towering Belgian suffered knee ligament damage while on international duty.