Juan Mata: 'Romelu Lukaku can be Manchester United's Didier Drogba'

Juan Mata has compared Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea great Didier Drogba, insisting that his Manchester United teammate can earn similar acclaim at Old Trafford.

The Belgium international turned down the chance to rejoin the Blues during the summer, instead opting for a new challenge under Jose Mourinho at United.

Lukaku failed to make an impact during his three years in West London, the majority of which was spent out on loan, but Mata believes that he has the right mentality to replicate the success enjoyed by Drogba in his new surroundings.

"Lukaku is a sensational striker and I don't think what he is doing is a surprise to people in football," he told reporters. "This kid always demonstrated that he had talent to exploit. Even at Chelsea you could see his tremendous quality and his ambition to score goals. This year he is proving it and doing it.

"He's still young but he's very similar in style to Drogba, no doubt about it, and has great potential. It's not just his style that is similar. Didi was very charismatic in Chelsea, very important for the team, and Lukaku can be the same. He's going in the right way. I really expect big things from him this season."

Drogba won 12 major honours during his time at Chelsea, including the Premier League title and EFL Cup when returning for one season in 2014-15.