Romelu Lukaku Says Manchester United Exit Rumours Are 'Lies' on Instagram

Romelu Lukaku has branded rumours he could leave Manchester United as "lies" on Instagram.

Per Goal's Chris Burton, Lukaku has been linked with an exit from Old Trafford amid speculation Juventus could be interested in him.

The Belgian has evidently taken issue with the talk, though, writing on Instagram that "When the hate don't work they start telling lies."

The post followed one he made last week, in which he captioned a photo of himself laughing in training as, "When you hear some funny gossip again."

Lukaku arrived in 2017 in a £75 million move from Everton, and he proceeded to net 27 goals in all competitions in his first season at Old Trafford.

His confidence appeared to dry up in this campaign, though, and he has just nine goals to his name and has embarked on a 12-match goalless run between September 15 and December 1.

Marcus Rashford scored his seventh goal in 10 games in United's 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, and Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News feels the youngster has surpassed Lukaku:

Like Rashford, the Belgium international has also been revitalised somewhat by the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim boss.

Lukaku has scored three times in five appearances under Solskjaer, despite starting just once for the Norwegian.

Solskjaer has also pledged to hand the striker more opportunities in the coming months, per Goal's Kris Voakes:

Unseating Rashford as the Red Devils' first-choice front man may be difficult when he's in such electric form, but with United still in the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, there should be plenty of games to go around.

The 25-year-old seemed to improve over the course of his first season with United—his movement and technique in particular—and if he can regain his confidence to the point where he's back on an upward trend, he can be a potent weapon for the Red Devils.