The two strikers overlapped at Old Trafford during the 2017/18 season, the Belgian’s first as a United player.
And Lukaku believes that the competitiveness of the charismatic Swede rubbed off on him, after finding himself on the receiving end of a robust challenge in training.
“Everything I learned from Zlatan was great, from his stories that he told me when he was at Inter, AC Milan, Barcelona and even Ajax, to being on the field working with him, seeing how competitive he was,” he told manutd.com.
“I remember one training session, because we were both strikers, we were never on the same team and, at one point, there was a 50/50 challenge. He went full-on against me.
“That is when I knew this guy wants to compete and this guy wants to fight for his spot. That's why he changed me. It was an eye-opener. The guy had to fight to be in the position he is in.
“So, I learned just to focus, work hard and enjoy it as well. Because he is a guy who you can have a lot fun with as well and having his personality in the dressing room was good.”
‘This is the hardest Manchester derby to call in years – Manchester United shouldn’t be petrified, it feels like Manchester City aren’t in control of any game at the moment’ Former Red Devils striker thinks a surprise result could be possible
‘Thierry Henry was my hero, but when you talk about players who have a wand of a left foot, he genuinely had that. He made my life so much easier on the right’: Ex-Arsenal star omits Gunners legend from his Perfect XI
