Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku insists that he is the best striker ever in the history of Belgian football. With 45 goals, the 25-year-old forward comfortably sits atop his country's top goalscorers leaderboard with his close competitor in the person of Eden Hazard trailing with 30 goals.

Lukaku made his debut for the Red Devils in 2010 and has since been an integral member of the team. In his nine-year spell, the ex-Chelsea and Everton star has amassed 79 caps with the highlight of his career so far being the third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. At last summer's tournament, he finished with the Bronze Boot after he helped his country in the campaign by scoring four goals.

At the club level, Lukaku has experienced a renaissance in form in recent times and has contributed massively to the 29 goals scored in 13 games under Manchester United's caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In his last four outings alone, the Belgian has scored six goals including a vital brace at Parc des Princes which aided his side to complete a historic comeback in the Champions League Round of 16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking to social media platform Otro, Lukaku did not hold back with his justification of the claim of being among the best Belgian strikers in history. He said: "People sometimes ask me if I am one of the top three Belgian strikers of all time.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. I would even say that I am the best of all time. One kilometer ahead of anyone else, I'm telling you.

"I'm No 1 on the national team scoring list, with 34 goals in my last 33 games. What can you tell me now?"

Romelu Lukaku failed to feature for Belgium in the just-concluding international break after withdrawing from the squad with an injury. The 25-year-old forward is expected to be sidelined for a club of games with Manchester United resuming Premier League action against Watford on Saturday.