Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has dubbed himself Jose Mourinho's "sergeant" on the pitch.
During an interview with former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry for Sky Sports News, the Belgian international talked up his "soldier mentality" on the playing field.
"I think the manager in his mind thinks that I'm like his sergeant on the pitch, and that's strange for a striker because it's usually the midfielders," he told Henry, his assistant coach at the Belgian national team.
"I've always worked hard and I'm grateful but at the end of the day, I'm a striker and I have to score goals. He has been really good but I think he knows I have that soldier mentality.
"I think the work rate I am delivering to the team is a lot and he knows he can come to me whenever. I will always put the team first ahead of myself and that's something I told him, I said 'the team is the most important thing'.
"The desire to win is bigger than ever since I came to this club, because I always wanted to win and to chase trophies. I always put that in front of my personal objectives and he knows that, and I think that's the reason why I'm playing all the time."
Lukaku and United are in Premier League action this Saturday when they play host to bitter rivals Liverpool in the lunchtime kickoff.
Mark Langshaw
