Romelu Lukaku: Loves the pressure of leading Belgium's attack

Romelu Lukaku insists he is not fazed by the task of leading the line for Belgium at the World Cup and admits he relishes being given goalscoring responsibility for his country.

The 21-year-old is the focal point of Belgium’s attack in the absence of Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke, who was ruled out of the tournament with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

"I love pressure, I embrace it," Lukaku said on Sunday ahead of their World Cup Group H game against Algeria on Tuesday.

Belgium, who are making their first appearance at a World Cup for 12 years, are many people’s outside bet for the tournament and Lukaku says the squad are eager to do well.

“If you are scared of pressure then you cannot play well," said the Chelsea striker.

Belgium’s training sessions in Brazil have been fiercely competitive. Tackles have been flying in as the players compete for a place in Marc Wilmot’s strating line-up and Lukaku says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

"I like it," Lukaku said. "You need this. It shows that we want to win. Our training sessions are all like competitive matches."

Bayern Munich’s Daniel van Buyten is the only player in the current squad who has played at a World Cup but Lukaku does not feel the lack of experience will hinder Belgium in Brazil.

"It's been a long time we have been at a major tournament," he said. "It's not about me scoring. It's about the team winning.

"We have a lot of quality in the team and year after year we have been getting stronger and stronger.

"A lot of us are now playing for top European clubs so there is no problem."