Vincent Kompany praises Manchester United new boy Romelu Lukaku, says Red Devils are in title mix

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has lauded Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring pedigree and believes his compatriot's presence at Old Trafford makes Jose Mourinho's side contenders for the Premier League title.

Lukaku joined United from Everton in a deal that could be worth up to £90m earlier this month and will be tasked with providing the cutting edge that his new club lacked on a number of occasions last season.

Kompany, who will be hoping to stay fit and aid Manchester City's title challenge in the upcoming campaign, is certain Lukaku will prove to be a success at Manchester United and says his ability to shrug off criticism, combined with his unwavering desire to score, will stand him in good stead under Mourinho, the man who saw fit to cast him aside just three years ago.

"Romelu has got one incredible ability. It is his desire to score goals," Kompany told Sky Sports. "A lot of people have commented on Romelu over the years and he has taken a lot of criticism.

"But his biggest strength is his belief in himself and the ability to always score goals and have that drive constantly. I think that is what Manchester United bought and that is what they are going to get from him.

"Therefore they have added a good player to the squad and it is going to increase the competition in the Premier League for the title."

Despite his past doubts, Mourinho decided to plump for Lukaku over Chelsea-bound forward Alvaro Morata, who had been expected to sign for Manchester United. The Real Madrid star flew to London on Thursday (20 July) with a view to finalising his imminent move to Stamford Bridge, which did not come as a surprise to Mourinho.

"I think it was obvious Chelsea would sign a striker, especially after the situation with the manager and Diego [Costa]," Mourinho said. "It was clear that they were going to get a striker, they did it with Alvaro and Alvaro is a very good player for them."