Does anyone still see potential for Lukaku?

Wheato

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Lukaku is nothing without service. He cannot make opportunities for himself, Like a RVN or RVP, he needs balls into the box that he can attack. This is why Jose was desperate to get Perisic. It was for his assists and crossing ability. It would guarantee to make Lukaku a 30 goal a season striker. When Pogba and Lukaku hit that groove in their first season together, it was through balls that were being played into him and he was running onto them and scoring loads of goals. Then something changed. He started playing with his back to goal and stopped making those runs. He came back from the World Cup shattered and out of shape. Funnily enough, his best game was Arsenal away when he was played on the right and asked to do something completely different. It bizarrely worked, which proves that he does have other elements to his game. As a plan B striker, he is a really strong option, but if we can get £75 million for him, we could go and get a top striker from France or Portugal for the same amount of money. This morning Greizmann has been saying he wants to come the PL. Hmmmmm
 

haram

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Being better than a 35 year old Ibrahimovic is not much of a measure for success. He started well because he was busting a gut running channels and was effective at certain things. Then he seemed to settle and stop working as hard, and anyone with eyes could see he was messing up as many chances as he helped create, then he inexplicably came back from summer about 10kg heavier. There was a player around October 2017 who had a 50/50 chance of making it here, but that player is long gone.
It’s not an age thing, it’s how he was positioned compared to Ibra. Ibra dropping deep was not helping us. We are better off with Lukaku pinning CB’s back and occupying them while leaving spaces for attacking midfielders. It’s number 9 play that does not show on stats.
 

11101

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It’s not an age thing, it’s how he was positioned compared to Ibra. Ibra dropping deep was not helping us. We are better off with Lukaku pinning CB’s back and occupying them while leaving spaces for attacking midfielders. It’s number 9 play that does not show on stats.
It's kind of what I'm saying. He is one of the best in the league sitting on a defenders shoulder and running at them, and that generally suits a team who sits back and counters. He's barely PL level if you ask him to drop back and get involved in the rest of the play but at a club aiming to challenge for the title you need strikers who can do that.
 

adexkola

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If he was a top player then all top clubs would come sniffing but he wasn't even given a chance at Chelsea after a good season he had at WBA which should tell you a lot.
The guy is so limited it's a joke how he even became a pro to begin with.
I can think of a couple of good players who weren't given a chance at Chelsea. Doesn't tell me anything about his quality to be honest, flawed point.
 

roonster09

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If he was a top player then all top clubs would come sniffing but he wasn't even given a chance at Chelsea after a good season he had at WBA which should tell you a lot.
The guy is so limited it's a joke how he even became a pro to begin with.
fecking hell, its one thing to argue whether Lukaku is good enough to be a top player, asking how he even became a pro? This is the player who has scored more than 100 PL goals, record goal scorer for Belgium NT.
 

Mike Phelan's Former Tash

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I want better, but how many better goal scorers are out there? Lukaku can score goals, hard to doubt his record.
He scored 12 premier league goals 19/20. He's not good enough, it's that simple.

Give Greenwood the same number of games next season, he'll score more than 12 goals AND he'll be exciting to watch.
 

Aloysius's Back 3

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There’s more than a few who legitimately thought we should have kept Felliani.
It's as I said - I'm not going to pretend that Lukaku is a rubbish player because he is decent. However to get him playing at a standard that is decent requires the rest of the team to utilise him as the single central option.

If Lukaku is going to be successful here we need to use him the way Jose uses him & I really don't want to see that rubbish anymore. If we did then we better have kept Fellaini and gone for traditional wingers like perisic this season aswell.

I feel that football has moved on from Lukaku style striker - unless they can do the works where they are fluid like in their ability to play in a front 3 like Harry Kane does.

Keeping Lukaku and assuming he doesn't change means we have to change our football style to something that benefits no one.

For me Lukaku is still worth a lot of money & keeping him for another year will most likely halve the amount we can get the lad.
We need a RW that can score 15+ goals to replace Lukaku & we can get one or even another CF or RW on top of we sell Lukaku right now.
 

Fosu-Mens

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It's as I said - I'm not going to pretend that Lukaku is a rubbish player because he is decent. However to get him playing at a standard that is decent requires the rest of the team to utilise him as the single central option.

If Lukaku is going to be successful here we need to use him the way Jose uses him & I really don't want to see that rubbish anymore. If we did then we better have kept Fellaini and gone for traditional wingers like perisic this season aswell.

I feel that football has moved on from Lukaku style striker - unless they can do the works where they are fluid like in their ability to play in a front 3 like Harry Kane does.

Keeping Lukaku and assuming he doesn't change means we have to change our football style to something that benefits no one.

For me Lukaku is still worth a lot of money & keeping him for another year will most likely halve the amount we can get the lad.
We need a RW that can score 15+ goals to replace Lukaku & we can get one or even another CF or RW on top of we sell Lukaku right now.
Yes. His abilities and the technical fast paced high pressing development of the game does not match at all.

Get Ziyech in at RW and we will have a technical player that will bag goals and assist.
We already have two players that are best as strikers in Rashford and Martial, but we would still need the option of a hold-up player. I think either Mandzukic, Haller or even Tammy Abraham could do this. Each with their strengths.
 

Jeffthered

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Come on now...

He's an excellent player for a team that's spends its time pinned back and needs a striker to help break out on the handful of chances they get per half. Running at defenders there are few better and his goal record speaks for itself.

It's in a top team that is expected to operate and hold the ball around the opposition third that he's out of his depth.
Yep. That's it. Absolutely.

He'll do well in Serie A, where the expectations are different, the pace a little slower, and the overall intensity, again, less than at a massive Premier League club. Of course he would score loads at PSG, but which half-decent striker wouldn't?

But a Juve? Bayern? Barca? Real? Man City? Forget it.

Belgium in some ways look too good for him. And again... is he an inspiration for them? In the big, tough matches against the TOP international teams? No.

Lukaku is a decent player, but United was too much for him. I want good cash for him, and to see him out the door. Why keep him?

Jamie Vardy would score more goals at United than Lukaku, and give us much more off the ball.
 

Canagel

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Yes. His abilities and the technical fast paced high pressing development of the game does not match at all.

Get Ziyech in at RW and we will have a technical player that will bag goals and assist.
We already have two players that are best as strikers in Rashford and Martial, but we would still need the option of a hold-up player. I think either Mandzukic, Haller or even Tammy Abraham could do this. Each with their strengths.
Ziyech would be amazing buy. Creative, scoring and versatile between attack or even midfield.
 

GM K

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If we sell Lukaku, who are we buying to replace him? I rate him higher than Icardi. Who else realistically?

But the big issue for me is, does he want to stay? I am done with players who are not willing to stay or come to United. If he wants out, let him go.
 

VeevaVee

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He's an excellent player for a team that's spends its time pinned back and needs a striker to help break out on the handful of chances they get per half.
That's pushing it though. He's not got a good enough first touch or finish for this to be the case. He's cost us points a few times because we've only had a couple of chances and fluffed his lines. Some then say 'well, Aguero doesn't finish all his chances either', but it's a classic case of not just using your eyes and admitting they should've done better in that specific situation.

I'd say he's a decent player for a team that doesn't have any expectations, because he'll have spurts of being in the right place at the right time (a skill in itself, being fair) and maybe not clearing it with his touch, missing from yards out, hiding behind defenders or tackling himself.
 

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31 goals in last 30 internationals. He's a fantastic goalscorer and we are just too rubbish to make chances.

My fear is that, while a forward will ideally be part of the build up, that we will see improvements next year with more attack minded full backs and ideally more creativity from pogba and eg fernandes, and we will increase our chance creation and see nobody finishing them off. Lukaku was low on confidence all season in a dreadful set up but when he's scoring he could easily be a 30 plus a season player.
check the opposition. its Gibraltar, Ireland, Cyprus, Bosnia, Estonia Mexico Japan saudi arabia, greece, egypt, costa rica, panama tunisia, scotland, iceland swiss, kazakstan. can you even name the low budget defenders he is doing it against?
Moving on a 26 year old with this record to play Rashford up front is fecking ridiculous.



Funny that he was the number 9 when we finished 2nd. Funny that he scored two to keep us in the CL against PSG.
after his blistering start up to November, he then averaged one league goal per month, it wasnt down to him.
how many CL goals does he have for us in the 2 seasons. Lukaku fanboys are the worst.
He's been a top player every year since a teenager. One poor season and people are saying he's shit.

He'll come good again, it would be a shame if it was somewhere else.
he has never been a top player
 

mark_a

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No. We clearly need to replace him, or be struggling for top 6 and taking beatings from newly promoted teams again this year. Clearly the issue of who to replace him with needs sorting, but frankly this season with him on the field it might as well be 10 men. Soz to the big fella, he seems lovely & all, but it just isn't working
 

roonster09

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after his blistering start up to November, he then averaged one league goal per month, it wasnt down to him.
how many CL goals does he have for us in the 2 seasons. Lukaku fanboys are the worst.
I disagree. Jose's are.
 

Bestofthebest

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Don't understand why Lukaku is being singled out. He is not the best striker in the world but his record for Belgium is impressive and his starting career at Utd wasn't bad. Appeared to drop off at some stage during Mourinho's tenure and got worse after Ole came in, apart from a few good performances when he created and scored a few goals.

The thing is he is by no means the worst player on the books and some of the worst will still be here long after Lukaku leaves. One thing is sure is that his performances will improve with better players around him, as he does for Belgium, or plays in a team that creates more and better chances for him. Right now I think he is severely lacking in confidence at Utd.
 

VeevaVee

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Don't understand why Lukaku is being singled out. He is not the best striker in the world but his record for Belgium is impressive and his starting career at Utd wasn't bad. Appeared to drop off at some stage during Mourinho's tenure and got worse after Ole came in, apart from a few good performances when he created and scored a few goals.

The thing is he is by no means the worst player on the books and some of the worst will still be here long after Lukaku leaves. One thing is sure is that his performances will improve with better players around him, as he does for Belgium, or plays in a team that creates more and better chances for him. Right now I think he is severely lacking in confidence at Utd.
He's not being singled out, it's a thread about him. People always say this in player specific threads, ignoring all the (mostly valid) criticism for Martial, Lingard, Pogba, Fred, Shaw, Smalling, Jones, Young, even De Gea everywhere else.
 

StrettyEnder07

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Strange one with Rom, put the ball in the box or in front of him and 7/8 times out of 10 he puts it away, he is a lethal finisher and I feel sorry for him at us because apart from the first 4 months under Jose, he has been living on absolute scraps. We hardly get into the opponents box whenever we play anyone half decent, he has Shaw and Young providing his crossing, which is just horrific plain and simple. Plus he has Rashford shooting from here then and everywhere, Martial/Lingard offering pretty much nothing, Matic/Herrera putting zero through balls through and hoping Pogba can create something for him time and again.

So from that point of view, to have scored the amount he has for us is pretty impressive.

But he does not help himself either, first touch is Sunday league standard, the weight he put on he could hardly run, he does not move, beyond lazy never works the channels unless being played out from the right, so it is a hard one, I feel sorry for him but also think he could do a lot more himself.

Anyway it looks as though he is going, replacements, not to sure who you are buying this summer. By all accounts, with James being brought in (who I think is being brought in to fight with Martial for the left, assuming Sanchez does leave), Ole apparently wants a RW, 2CMs, RB and CB. I can't see a CF being added to that list this summer so I would personally go for maybe Lozano at PSV. Plays RW or CF, quick, scores goals gets assists experienced, very good player, can cover Rashford at CF if needed, this will also give Greenwood a lot of game time throughout the season, plus that would give us an extra 60+ million for other areas of the pitch.
 

Shaidabdullah Hussain

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So now he’s got 14? In his last 15 games for Belgium. If has the right players around him creating changes , in the right system for him, then he can be a prolific striker.

I’m just not sure that system is the way I want united to play.
 

R'hllor

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Must say Lukaku saying "you are grown ass man, deal with it" during end era of JM earned him some points.
 

sp_107

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he failed at UTD because of no proper service in last few seasons from midfield and flanks. I feel any good striker would have failed at UTD in last few years. With new players shall we keep him? I dont think so as I still find he is limited. we need a striker who is more fluid and brings everyone else into the play like Werner/Haller. so Wouldn't lose my sleep over selling Lukaku. I am sure he will do well in Italy.
 

Beachryan

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Does anyone see him - having already played almost a decade of top level football with very few breaks- getting any better?

I fear he's going to decline, and fast. We might even be seeing it now.
 

Canagel

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What goal he scored in internationals by stadpadding means nothing. Infact when Belgium faced the first top team like Brazil in the world cup Martinez moved him to the wing to bulldoze his way past some defenders and KDB was the false 9 because Martinez knew he goes missing vs big teams from Everton times already. Imagine a top striker in any big clubs being moved away from his position.
Getting rid of striker thats taking away from the attack as a whole is improvement already. Even if he didn't get replaced hypothetically we would be better off.
 

Pogue Mahone

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Does anyone see him - having already played almost a decade of top level football with very few breaks- getting any better?

I fear he's going to decline, and fast. We might even be seeing it now.
Hard not to worry about this. God knows we've had more than our fair share of prematurely declining strikers already. I don't think I could cope with another one...
 

Stacks

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he failed at UTD because of no proper service in last few seasons from midfield and flanks. I feel any good striker would have failed at UTD in last few years. With new players shall we keep him? I dont think so as I still find he is limited. we need a striker who is more fluid and brings everyone else into the play like Werner/Haller. so Wouldn't lose my sleep over selling Lukaku. I am sure he will do well in Italy.
Fair point. although he has continue his terrible form against so called "better sides".
 

AllezLesDiables

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Ignore his international record. Nearly all the games the NT has played recently save for the WC have been against decidedly inferior teams. Plus with Hazard, Mertens, De Bruyne and 70% possession you could stick lots of strikers in there who would do well.

He’s a poor target man and has a terrible first touch unless the ball is settled.

As several have mentioned he needs to be in space and fits better as a 2nd striker in a counter attacking type team.

His abilities get nullified when Belgium is trying to cut through teams who are packing 10 at the back.

Love Rom as he’s a good dude who is passionate but he’s never going to be what fans want him to be a complete 9.
 

wolvored

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What we can garner from Ole is he wants nimble interchanging forwards who can dribble as well. None of this is Lukaku.
 

reddevil80

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his first touch is that bad, it wouldn't matter how much fantastic world class service he got, he would just mess it up, so no, I don't see potential for Lukaku. I just hope the inter squad put up a decent bid and take him, and as you will expect, he will start scoring again and maybe become a success over there.
 

Sing you a song

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I’m a big fan of selling Lukaku if we can get decent money for him in my view he has never been good enough for United and I was disappointed when we bought him.
However if he goes we must buy a top striker to replace him , Rashford and Martial are just not capable of scoring enough goals .
Our goal scoring record since the departure of Van Persie has been even more of a problem than our defence we are miles behind the goals scored numbers of the likes of City and Liverpool this has to be sorted
 

Hughie77

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He can finish we know that, service is a problem with UTD, also his first touch outside of box is awful at times! When it's needed for a front man just to hold the ball, bring others up with him, it more often just bounces off loses it, that part of his game is the worst.

I think his heads been turned for a move, As Oles not picked him as main striker? So I think he wants that, even Martinez has said he's better off moving, if he does hope ole gets another striker in and not go with what we got?
 

MikeUpNorth

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He has some glaring flaws, but he's still a very good striker who will score goals. That said, I wouldn't be against selling him, if we could secure a top quality replacement. Are there any available though?
 

NinjaZombie

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As others have mentioned, his international record is misleading. The quality of opposition he comes up against is poor.

Look at what he produces for us. Non existent hold up play due to his bad first touch and surprising tendency to get knocked off the ball and wasteful finishing.

Someone rightly mentioned how having Young as our rb puts us at a disadvantage negotiating for Wan Bisakka but I'd have no qualms over selling Lukaku without having a replacement lined up because I'd rather see Greenwood or Chong play in his place.
 

Apokalips

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Look at the difference in chances Lukaku gets compared to Zlatan had and you see why his lack of chances is in great part down to himself and his lack of movement. Top drawer strikers produce goals from moments on their own also, which Lukaku pretty much never does. When has he managed to get the ball, do a little shimmy to find half a yard and tuck the ball home? In those tight games, we need a forward who can do that regularly.