Romelu Lukaku stated on Wednesday that the Belgian national team, with which he will play in the 2018 World Cup, is stronger than Manchester United, the team he joined this season for almost 84 million euros.

After laughing and hesitating briefly, Lukaku replied "yes" to a journalist who asked him in a press conference if his national team was at a higher level than United.

The oldest of the Lukaku brothers, 25 years old, appeared before the press after Belgium's training, which is concentrating for friendly matches to prepare for their debut in the World Cup in Russia. He also referred to the ankle injury he suffered in April during a match against Arsenal.

"The injury is completely behind me. I train with the team and have already done some complementary exercises to catch up on any delay I may have had," said Belgium's all-time top scorer, with 33 goals in 66 matches.

About the expectations that the Belgian national team has generated for their participation in the World Cup, reaching it after a brilliant performance in the qualifying phase, Romelu Lukaku pointed out that it is "a challenge to make a mark in this tournament."

"If you want people to talk about you, you have to at least reach the semifinals. The quarterfinals are not enough for me, personally," he added, and said that they will need to show their ambition "on the field," something they "haven't done in the past."

The United forward is one of the big stars of the 'Red Devils,' but his younger brother, Jordan, is less certain to be part of the final list of 23 players who will travel to Russia.

The national coach, Roberto Martínez, plans to announce the final team on Monday, after Saturday's friendly against Portugal. EFE