Jose Mourinho Hails Romelu Lukaku's Work Rate, Says Not All Team-Mates Match Up

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has praised Romelu Lukaku for his work rate after the side's 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, but he believes not all of his team-mates share that quality.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News shared the Special One's comments on the Belgian:

Per the Mirror's David McDonnell, he said: 

"In the last minute he was fighting and running back like he was in the first minute. 

"The way Romelu wins the corner for the goal, the way he ends the game making tackles in the left-back position, that's the mentality I want.

"Unfortunately, not every player is the same. Some are capable of going to the limit of their efforts but others, even with a lot of talent, are not able to."

Lukaku's scoring form has dried up since an electric start to life at Old Trafford in which he scored 11 goals in his first 10 games—his effort in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United on November 18 is his only strike since September.

United beat Brighton thanks to Lewis Dunk's own goal, which deflected in from Ashley Young's effort. Lukaku harried the Seagulls into giving away the corner that preceded it.

ESPN FC's Rob Dawson shared another example of his impressive effort to track back:

While the striker may not be finding the net much at the moment, it's a positive sign for United that he's at least offering defensive work rate from the front.

It's also important for Lukaku to show it now that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to the first team and Mourinho has a strong alternative to replace him with in the starting lineup.

Having Ibrahimovic back and available for United is a bonus, especially as there is a possibility of Lukaku picking up a suspension for tangling with Brighton's Gaetan Bong at the weekend. A three-match ban would rule the Belgian out of games with Watford, Arsenal and Manchester City.

The form and mentality of some of their other players is concerning the manager, though. 

Football writer Liam Canning noted some were not performing to their capability:

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata will be an ongoing worry. The pair should be providing the team with spark and creativity, and they're more than capable of doing so but have largely failed to do that this season and that was particularly costly while Paul Pogba was out.

Ander Herrera, while he did not play against Brighton, has also fallen well below the level he achieved last season.

United are eight points behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race, and the Sky Blues almost appear to have it sewn up already.

The Red Devils are perhaps the only team who can overcome them this season, but if they are to close that gap, they need all of their players at the top of their game.