Lukaku and Sanchez - cut our losses? Poll now added

[billybee99]

Still clinging to the hope that Alexis can have an impact at this club. Who knows, could even be in the CL with a bit of luck. Form is temporary, class is permanent and all that. As for Rom, I'm not so sure. I just think the quicker we move the ball the more his flaws are exposed and the club is clearly moving towards a style of play that doesn't suit him. What I will say is I definitely prefer him from the right if we do hang on to him.

When you have played like shite for more than one year, it is not "form"; it is permanent.

 

[Class of 63]

Just no... Pogba has been truly world class and league best player playing as attacking support role in midfield, with all due respect to Lingard, we don't want to change that just to accommodate Lukaku on the right without compromising Lingard place in the team.

Huh, it's still 4-3-3, Pogba would still be able to get forward, and Lingard would be in his best position, or the position he can do most damage from. The AN Other would have to be somebody like Kante, and the defence improved but those areas need an upgrade anyway.

 

[Class of 63]

A guaranteed 25 goals a season, with the note that you have to play him all the time, and the team has to re-shuffle to play to his strength. Which is not the case right now.

Well yeah, that is kinda how it works. Good luck to the scouts looking for a striker who can score when he doesn't play......

 

[billybee99]

Well yeah, that is kinda how it works. Good luck to the scouts looking for a striker who can score when he doesn't play......

And how it will work this season is that Lukaku won't get his 25 goals because he is not good enough to get his minutes and Rashford is better. While we're at it, you might want to start quoting his Premier League stats instead of trying to pad his numbers with cup goals against 2nd division cannon fodder. The fact is he only had 16 goals in the league last year (of course, guys like you love to say he had 27) and he offers absolutely nothing on the pitch when he's not scoring goals and he's been less than 1 in 2 for us in nearly 2 seasons and less than 1 in 2 for his entire career including Everton. He is not a right winger and he doesn't provide depth there because he is not particularly good there and is currently too overweight to provide any defensive cover to the FB.

 

[sam147]

Sanchez doesn’t strike me as the type to want a role as a squad player, I think he’ll ask for a move in the summer. Now how many teams are willing to take on that salary I don’t know. I’m fine with moving on from both

Im not fine with it because we wont sign two attacking players. Mata has got to go. If both Lukaku and Sanchez leave we would need a RW and a Striker rather than just a RW. Our board thinks one left footed left back, a 34 year old RB and a 19 year old kid is enough depth at fullback seeing as we didnt sign anyone in January.

 

[Class of 63]

And how it will work this season is that Lukaku won't get his 25 goals because he is not good enough to get his minutes and Rashford is better. While we're at it, you might want to start quoting his Premier League stats instead of trying to pad his numbers with cup goals against 2nd division cannon fodder. The fact is he only had 16 goals in the league last year (of course, guys like you love to say he had 27) and he offers absolutely nothing on the pitch when he's not scoring goals and he's been less than 1 in 2 for us in nearly 2 seasons and less than 1 in 2 for his entire career including Everton. He is not a right winger and he doesn't provide depth there because he is not particularly good there and is currently too overweight to provide any defensive cover to the FB.

Well humblest apologies, sorry for including his 5 goals in 8 Champions League games in his tally to pad his stats, guys like me eh, pfft what are we like ?

And nobody is suggesting he plays as a conventional right-winger, but then you should know in a 4-3-3 he wouldn't be expected to be, the spare man in the midfield three provides, or should cover for the full-back, just because Mourinho expected it doesn't make it the norm.

 

[Zed 101]

I have voted to ditch both, the main reason that I cannot see either but particularly Lukaku content with being squad players, whilst they do bring a degree of experience it would be better to have some hungry young players fighting to get their chances and not sulking about making subs, we have plenty of experience elsewhere in the squad.

Ideally we would get a striker who can play right wing, we are woefully unbalanced at present, shut down the left wing and we struggle.

 

[Lentwood]

I think we would be mad to sell Lukaku. Whether he goes on to be Manchester Utd’s main man at CF I have my doubts but he’s a proven goalscorer and offers something different to most strikers with his raw pace and strength

Imagine being an opposition defender and it’s 0-0 after 60mins of hard graft. You look over and see a fresh Lukaku about to come...you’ve got to be thinking “bloody hell that’s all I need!”

 

[Vagene]

I’ve voted keep both.

We need strength in depth, both had rough christmas periods. Martial, Rash and Lingard all started when the Ole honeymoon started. I can’t see why letting them both go would help anyone. Attackers need competition and I can’t see the board going all out to replace them when we need defensive reinforcements a lot more than up front.

Lukaku is only 25, he needs to adapt his game. He’s proven to be a good goal scorer, it his all round game that needs work. We need the players behind him to give him balls to run on to and facing the oppo’s goal. Drop the hold up play as he sucks at it

Sanchez needs confidence, he’s still got it. He needs to stop trying so hard, keep it simple at times. I’d like to see him through the middle with pace either side. It may be more the fact that I’m dying to see the old Sanchez in a united shirt, big fan since his Udinese days.

Both are big players, we’ve got a a lot of tough games coming up, hopefully Ole can find a way to get them playing the way we united fans want.

 

[Andycoleno9]

When you have played like shite for more than one year, it is not "form"; it is permanent.

I strongly disagree with opinion about Alexis on Caf. Under Ole he was injured and after he got back he showed some good things every time he played.
And about his form in 2018; whole team played badly under Jose. But Pogba and Matic were bad because of Jose and Alexis was bad because he is finished? I can't accept that.
I don't understand all this "hate" and criticm towards him. He is class player and i am sure he will prove it if he starts playing every game.

 

[CM]

It's a difficult one. Both of them have failed to live up to expectations but would probably be classed as handy squad players if not for the astronomically high wages/transfer fee.

I guess the club's position will be that they'd entertain offers but won't actively try selling either of them. We've got a pretty substantial task in bolstering the squad as it is without the added complications of replacing Sanchez or Lukaku.

 

[hobbers]

I think we would be mad to sell Lukaku. Whether he goes on to be Manchester Utd’s main man at CF I have my doubts but he’s a proven goalscorer and offers something different to most strikers with his raw pace and strength

I'd hardly say his pace is a unique quality when he's comfortably slower than Martial and Rashford. And miles slower than them on the ball.

As for his strength... well, he certainly never shows it when he's trying and failing to win headers or hold the ball up.

 

[2cents]

Sanchez looks finished at the highest level and Lukaku doesn’t look like he has it in him to ever reach it. Ideally we’d ditch both, but I think it’ll only be one this summer and it’ll probably be Sanchez.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I think we would be mad to sell Lukaku. Whether he goes on to be Manchester Utd’s main man at CF I have my doubts but he’s a proven goalscorer and offers something different to most strikers with his raw pace and strength

Imagine being an opposition defender and it’s 0-0 after 60mins of hard graft. You look over and see a fresh Lukaku about to come...you’ve got to be thinking “bloody hell that’s all I need!”

This is why in a straight decision between keeping one and ditching the other I'd give Lukaku the nod over Sanchez. If he can get his body right and his confidence back he has something to offer at the top level and can do so for a number of years into the future, while Sanchez's years at the top will very soon be over if they aren't already.

 

[Saffron]

No Jose was trying to force out pogba and told lukaku to stay clear I reckon. Thank god all his game of thrones crap is over now.

This is why in a straight decision between keeping one and ditching the other I'd give Lukaku the nod over Sanchez. If he can get his body right and his confidence back he has something to offer at the top level and can do so for a number of years into the future, while Sanchez's years at the top will very soon be over if they aren't already.

I think we have to let Lukaku go because of Mourinho. Seems he has created a rift between Lukaku and the other players, who still see him as the teacher's pet.

Mourinho's Game of Thrones crap may be over but we are still suffering from it.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I think we have to let Lukaku go because of Mourinho. Seems he has created a rift between Lukaku and the other players, who still see him as the teacher's pet.

Mourinho's Game of Thrones crap may be over but we are still suffering from it.

I've heard people reading into Pogba appearing visibly frustrated at Lukaku's 'movement' during the Fulham game. That coupled with Pogba being Jose's virus versus Lukaku being Jose's go-to-guy despite his abysmal form adds up to Lukaku being an irredeemably negative force who needs to be moved on. Given none of us can corroborate any of that I prefer to put it to one side and focus on what I can see; which is a player in the wrong physical condition, low on form and confidence on high wages who is currently not justifying his inclusion in the squad. Based on that alone I can't blame people for wanting him ditched.

However I thought he was good last year. He scored a decent number of goals and I thought even when he wasn't scoring he was doing good work for the team. He's young enough to get back to that kind of form, and if he does I'm willing to put worries about Jose's GoTs and whether he's the right kind of player for our style aside and give him a chance to be useful for us.

 

[cathari]

Can't understand why the majority here (60,8%) would like to sell Lukaku, who is only turning 26 this May. We are talking about a player who scored 27 times in his first season here, and at his best, he is a proper beast up top for us. He is also one of the few that stood out and gave his all when identity and energy were clearly lacking in José's United. That has the count for something, doesn't it? His current lack of form has also come after a World Cup, and in a José side, that was struggling for goals.

So, no, we should definitely not look to sell Rom. Right now it is a real luxury having him as our impact sub, and hopefully, he would find his form again soon.

Apologies in advance if this comes out quite harsh, but sometimes I find that it is a real lack of patience on player's development in the forums.

 

[Ali Dia]

I think we will make a loss on lukaku but there’ll be interest from good epl and CL teams...

Sanchez... thank god for the Chinese and US leagues because they are the only ones who could afford him after what we’ve promised him.

I think both are still useful but their wages are borderline disgraceful for squad players and indicative of how badly we’ve been run these past few years.

 

[AndyJ1985]

Can't understand why the majority here (60,8%) would like to sell Lukaku, who is only turning 26 this May. We are talking about a player who scored 27 times in his first season here, and at his best, he is a proper beast up top for us. He is also one of the few that stood out and gave his all when identity and energy were clearly lacking in José's United. That has the count for something, doesn't it? His current lack of form has also come after a World Cup, and in a José side, that was struggling for goals.

So, no, we should definitely not look to sell Rom. Right now it is a real luxury having him as our impact sub, and hopefully, he would find his form again soon.

Apologies in advance if this comes out quite harsh, but sometimes I find that it is a real lack of patience on player's development in the forums.

What do you mean by "gave his all"? In what way did he work any harder than anyone else? The stats actually show he ran less than anyone else.

 

[Judas]

The only reason I have any belief whatsoever that Sanchez might be able to turn it around is the fact Matic looked done under Jose and is a total different player now. But it remains to be seen if Sanchez can turn it around here, or if he'll need to move to find his form again.

 

[Saffron]

What do you mean by "gave his all"? In what way did he work any harder than anyone else? The stats actually show he ran less than anyone else.

I think cathari simply copypasted the go-to defense of Fellaini and forgot who he was talking about. Wouldn't be surprised to see someone bring out the "Woodward should have backed him in the summer" defense of Lukaku too.

 

[killerboi2]

I'm a little surprised to see more people want Sanchez gone than Lukaku. Sanchez still has more to his game than Lukaku for me. Keep both for me in the short term, see if they can turn it around.

 

[Ramos]

Where does Rom go from here though? He was too good for Everton, which were already like the best of the rest. He's can't seem to cut it for a top 6 club and all of them have pretty much found their main striker by now. None of the other teams can afford him. Plus his pride might get in the way.

Abroad then, but he just seems so made for the PL. Capable of scoring double figures for pretty much any team.

Can't really see the team that would come get him at an acceptable price considering how much was payed for him.

 

[Hammer_st]

Both are nice players, but a little to expensive just as substitutes. Therefore I would sell both if someone make a good offer. Else both are good quality squad players.

 

[The Purley King]

Imagine being an opposition defender and it’s 0-0 after 60mins of hard graft. You look over and see a fresh Lukaku about to come...you’ve got to be thinking “bloody hell that’s all I need!”

Fresh from the pie shop........
Even when he comes on as a sub I see no discernible improvement in his effort or work rate. If you have 20 minutes left of a game and you come on then fecking run about a bit, make an effort. He doesn't press from the front, he rarely makes any runs. Theoretically he should be able to play 3 games one after the other with no ill effects. He should be sold now as he's always been like this, there is no reason to suggest he'll improve his touch or his workrate now.
I voted to keep Sanchez as there is always the chance that he gets a run of games and he starts to click with the rest of our attacking players. I'd give him one more year before making that decision. He does seem to be a lot physically weaker than at Arsenal though, have noticed numerous times recently he gets muscled off the ball and I'm sure he was more resilient in possession a few years back.
We might lose £20m on Lukaku, but £50m in the pocket is better than him trundling around the pitch for another season.

 

[Volumiza]

I reckon Sanchez has just had a bit of a head screw coupled with a couple of injuries. Let's see how he is at the end of the season, his goal against Arsenal showed he still has some class in his locker! He can cover for Martial's and Pogba's positions I think.

 

[PlayerOne]

They should both go. While it may be handy to keep them, the wages they're both on and the transfer fees we might be able to get for them makes the decision pretty simple.

 

[Saffron]

They should both go. While it may be handy to keep them, the wages they're both on and the transfer fees we might be able to get for them makes the decision pretty simple.

Exactly. When we have glaring weaknesses in other areas, keeping a £75m striker and the league's highest earner on the bench as "useful backup options" is simply not sound. City might be able to afford that. For us it just means we're not putting those resources to good use.

 

[cathari]

What do you mean by "gave his all"? In what way did he work any harder than anyone else? The stats actually show he ran less than anyone else.

Hmmmm. Maybe I'm confusing this season with the 17-18. Wooops.

Still, it's pretty crazy selling such a different option to Rashford, who is only 26 years old and scored 20+ in his debut season. I mean, how are we keeping Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia and Chris Smalling (or Marcos 'Money' Rojo!) year in, year out, but now all of the sudden, everybody wants Lukaku out as soon as possible?

Exactly. When we have glaring weaknesses in other areas, keeping a £75m striker and the league's highest earner on the bench as "useful backup options" is simply not sound. City might be able to afford that. For us it just means we're not putting those resources to good use.

He is not cheap, he's not, but we can afford it. Offloading Sanchez is way more important than selling a cut-price Rom.

 

[Rutan]

Both players were signed to play in our first 11, that's another reason why both of them are in our top 3 highest paid players. The truth is no one right now can see a situation where they can conceivably provide more quality than our current starting options. I would therefore sell both, and replace them with Sancho and Son. Rashford and Martial are on 180k and 200k/week, respectively and both Son and Sancho will be happy with that salary bracket. A massive savings on Lukaku and Sanchez salaries. We could get 50 or 60mil for Lukaku from top Serie A side, like Napoli. We can drop our asking price for Sanchez so that whoever buys him can afford his massive salary. Ramsay on 400k/week means everyone is insane anyway.

 

[Saffron]

He is not cheap, he's not, but we can afford it. Offloading Sanchez is way more important than selling a cut-price Rom.

The thing is, that transfer fee could be just as important as getting rid of Alexis wages. Because we could bring in a much needed player at another position where we are lacking.

Lukaku turns 26 in May. This summer may be the last window where his transfer fee will not be affected negatively by age at all.

 

[cathari]

Lukaku turns 26 in May. This summer may be the last window where his transfer fee will not be affected negatively by age at all.

That's just not true.

 

[pokiri]

We have bigger priorities like getting a CB, Right winger and central midfielder. We need to sort them out before even thinking about replacing Lukaku.

 

[Saffron]

That's just not true.

Ah yes, the tried and true "that's just not true". Works every time.

I could definitely see a 10% age deduction for a 27 year old striker (next year) who has already played an abnormal amount of matches in his career.

 

[Bastian]

I strongly disagree with opinion about Alexis on Caf. Under Ole he was injured and after he got back he showed some good things every time he played.
And about his form in 2018; whole team played badly under Jose. But Pogba and Matic were bad because of Jose and Alexis was bad because he is finished? I can't accept that.
I don't understand all this "hate" and criticm towards him. He is class player and i am sure he will prove it if he starts playing every game.

I don't think Sanchez is finished, he could still be useful, he's got ability Lukaku doesn't have, and he always looks to make things happen. He's just not anywhere near as good as we thought he'd be (some rare clairvoyant exceptions) and the money he's on is ridiculous unless you are the very best player in the team. It causes problems down the line when negotiating other contracts, and presumably has already done so. Shifting him would free up quite a bit of money and allow us to be a little bit more responsible with our wages going forward (which is probably one of the worst aspect of how the club is run).

That being said, it won't be easy shifting him.

 

[simplyared]

Keep Sanchez. Feel pretty sure we can still get a tune out of him. Lukaku is looking like a hopeless case so yes we should get rid in the summer and cut the loss. Can't see any point in keeping him!

 

[Mainoldo]

Both are dead food. This game confirming it.

 

[hobbers]

Super sub Sanchez he most certainly is not.

Easily our worst bit of business since Di Maria, and we didnt even pay a transfer fee for him.

 

[Baxter]

Lukaku at least has time on his side.

Sanchez is utterly finished.

 

[ruairifionnan]

Sanchez is a championship player, finished at United .