Lukaku and Sanchez - cut our losses? Poll now added

[davidmichael]

Much like with everything else we need to make the decision in May rather than right now, we’re almost certainly not going to sign anyone this month so we don’t need to sell either and the bigger picture will be clear in May.

Personally I’d say Valencia, Darmian, Jones, Rojo, Fellaini and a few reserve players like Wilson are players that need to be moved on as definite deadwood and I’d have Lukaku and Sanchez in the end of season decision group.

How I look at it is Sanchez at this point in his career is far better through the middle and offers far more that way than out wide but Lukaku is also best through the middle too which leaves us with a straight choice between the two for who leaves as Rashford is first choice, the question for me is does Sanchez go and Lukaku is Rashford’s back up or does Lukaku go and Sanchez is Rashford’s back up ?.

I think it’s clear we need a genuine right sided attacker so with a new signing, Lingard and Chong you could make a case for Mata also going unless he dropped into midfield as a back up option and rules out Lukaku moving wide right. On the left you’ve got Martial, Lingard can play there and young Gomes as well as Rashford if needed but Sanchez could also play there against weaker teams.

I guess of the two I’d lean more to keeping Sanchez than Lukaku simply because Lukaku would be easier to move on, bring in a decent fee (£50-£60 million isn’t unrealistic), Sanchez can play in more roles if needed and Sanchez fits the system better even if not to the level we’d want him too.

 

[11101]

It's a financial decision.

Lukaku is a great striker playing a very specific way, one that we probably wont really play much, but he can still put the numbers up and he's effective coming in from space on the right.

Sanchez has the guile and skill to be a good player in the middle but he's lost that explosiveness that made him special.

They both have a place here but neither are good enough to be part of our starting 11, its just whether their egos can handle that and if we are happy to pay them star money for being squad players.

 

[Cassidy]

It's still cheaper than buying a new player.

Not exactly. That is relative.

 

[iHicksy]

Sanchez is going to look great in this system alongside Rashford/martial/Lingard. Sure, he's lost some of his explosive pace. But, a high press intricate passing fluid front three will suit him down to the ground. Considering this is a new system and he's lacking match sharpness he looked great against Arsenal. You have to remember he's been playing alongside Lukaku as a focal point in every game (pretty much) since he arrived under a defensive coach. If i'm wrong please quote me, but I think he's finally going to come good under Ole.

Lukaku however, is a another matter. I've said all along that he's only really going to be effective on the right hand side of a front three and should never play in the centre but he simply doesn't have the technical ability for that role. What he does have is pace, and a decent cross on him. He can definitely be effective as a squad option. But, what we should be asking ourselves is, is that what we want from someone who cost 90million? I don't think he has the intelligence to play in this system and nail down a starting spot. With that in mind I think we should look to sell him, if and only if, we can get someone of a higher quality (technically).

 

[Orange Tree]

I think Sanchez could play very well in Lindgard's role. But I do agree with the notion of this thread. They take too much wage for a squad role.

If we can find a taker for them, then yes, we should consider selling and replace them with players that suit our style of play, which also highly dependent on the manager.

 

[Fitchett]

Surely give them until, at the very least, the summer and see how they fare. Obviously it will depend who is manager next season, but to discard them so quickly after binning the manager who stifled so many players in his time at United makes no sense. They proved last night they have something to offer.
Starting Lukaku and Sanchez in a game then replacing them with Rashford and Martial - or vice versa - can only be a good thing. In the Arsenal game, OGS made that change with the score at 2-1 in an attempt to try and win the game rather than trying to shut up shop. Long may it continue.

This

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

I'd give both until the summer to prove themselves. If we're talking 4-5 goals for Lukaku and the same for Sanchez plus the odd assist, I would look to move them. For 400k a week and £75m, you want players who are performing at a much higher level than that and are benching Rashford and Martial, not the other way around. It will be extremely difficult to move them though to be honest.

 

[izec]

Lukaku would be easier to move on, perfect age and on less wages. I imagine there are some clubs who would offer us a nice chunk of that 75m back of what we paid Everton. When i see West Ham getting linked With Maximiliano Gomez for his buyout clause of 40m, there is a lot of value there. So if a good offer comes in and Lukaku wants to move on, i wouldn't think twice. I dont think Lukaku is suited to us.

Sanchez on the other hand is a bit older and on huge wages, unless a Chinese club come calling, which i doubt, there is not much chance we will get to sell him. I would also keep him, i think Alexis has something different to offer, he is only 30, surely he has some years left in his tank.

 

[lex talionis]

At Alexis's age, I can definitely see him accepting 450k/week or whatever he's on if it meant being a squad man for United. And it's not as though the manager would forever rule him out as a regular starter if he earns it with his performances.

Even at Lukaku's younger age, it even doesn't seem that hard to imagine him accepting a rotational role for United.

If nothing else, where would either go? Certainly not to any other Top Six club. We can moan about the fees and wages we paid to bring these two players in but here they are and they are more than very decent squad men.

Inevitable injuries will create opportunities for Rome and Alexis.

The better question for us to be debating is what do we really do about the RW spot in the summer in the event Alexis and Lukaku, as well as Lingard, perform well in their duty assignments on right?

If it's time this summer for any of our attacking players to leave, it may be Mata. Juan has served the club well but doesn't have the power or power IMHO to consistently flourish in Ole's scheme. And I do believe Ole will be United manager next summer.

 

[Josep Dowling]

I like Sanchez and I think given time he can reach his peak again. However I’m not sure he will want to hang around if he’s being benched by Martial.

And can we really have a player on the bench earning his salary?

As for Lukaku I just don’t think he’s good enough. I want to see Rashford as our first striker so that comes back to can we have a £90m striker sat on the bench? Plainly no.

 

[Don Alfredo]

Is that the second most expensive PL player ever and the highest earning PL player as squad players? Talk about some squad depth, reminds me of the time when Madrid had Bale and James as squad players to play in the games vs lesser teams

 

[youmeletsfly]

Is that the second most expensive PL player ever and the highest earning PL player as squad players? Talk about some squad depth, reminds me of the time when Madrid had Bale and James as squad players to play in the games vs lesser teams

So, if Alexis sits on the bench for 500K a week, how much should Pogba ask for his new contract? A million?

At least the Alexis deal was a swap, a free deal. Lukaku cost us 90 mil and is still on 300K a week. If he stays here for 4 years we would spend 160-180 mil on him(depending on what bonuses he has in his contract). So more than 150mil on a player that can't stop a ball even if his life would depend on it.

I'm not saying that Rom doesn't have his strengths or that he's the worst ST alive, but he just doesn't suit us or any top team at the moment. The only team he was suited for was Mourinho's Chelsea. Taking all of that into consideration I would sell him in a heartbeat and try to get as much in return as possible.(opposed to keeping him and still paying his salary)

Short answers: Alexis can still prove his worth and he seems capable of doing it. If not, we can get 20 mil for him when he fecks off to China.
Rom needs to be moved on unless he loses 7-8 Kg's and suddenly turns into Ronaldinho.

 

[Zed 101]

I can see Sanchez happily being an in and out player for the next 2 years, I do not see Lukaku being happy to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like an impossible situation unless both players are happy to take a bit of a step back, I would be happy to off load Lukaku for a top notch right winger, then we just need to find a new Solskjaer for those times when we need a striker from the bench. (Lukaku was actually pretty good on the right wing against Arsenal but cannot see him cementing that position).

 

[Revan]

I think that we can get good money for Lukaku providing that we decide to sell him in England. Can see both Chelsea and Everton being interested in him, and likely we will be able to recuperate all (or almost all) the transfer fee.

Sanchez is a different case. Even as a free transfer, we might not find someone willing to take him, considering his salary and age. Best case is for him to become a good squad player.

 

[Tom Cato]

Jesus... He's gonna be 30 in just 3 years, and there are people who want him to replace Sanchez?

I dont WANT to replace Sanchez. In fact I would prefer for him to stay and challenge for a spot.

The reason I brought up the question is that Sanchez is not the type of guy that would be happy with playing the bench in a big club a lot, so I can easily see him forcing a move if his sitaution does not improve sometime the next season. So if that happens, we want someone to replace him. I brought King up since he's a very quick and agile forward who's been a key part of a Bornemouth team who's had a couple really good seasons behind them.

There is also the question of how much Man Utd wants to spend on a player who's playing the bench a lot. Sanchez earns fantasy money, he's expected to be the go to guy.

 

[Canagel]

Sanchez really cannot be squad player with the wages he's on. I think he has until summer to nail down a first team position and show his Arsenal form . Or he should be moved on.
I don't see future for him at LW as Martial is better (even though he isnt proper winger but for sake of balance) . Rashford has nailed down the striker position. It's the RW or nothing.
Lukaku the same. He too expensive to be sitting on bench and doesn't fit the style that's being implemented. If another team wants to build around him good luck but we need versatile and fluid attack. The RW thing is just special case in big match when hes gt space to run into but oherwise his close control is too inconsistent to be effective when spaces are compact and we need to break teams down

 

[Sandikan]

So, if Alexis sits on the bench for 500K a week, how much should Pogba ask for his new contract? A million?

At least the Alexis deal was a swap, a free deal. Lukaku cost us 90 mil and is still on 300K a week. If he stays here for 4 years we would spend 160-180 mil on him(depending on what bonuses he has in his contract). So more than 150mil on a player that can't stop a ball even if his life would depend on it.

I'm not saying that Rom doesn't have his strengths or that he's the worst ST alive, but he just doesn't suit us or any top team at the moment. The only team he was suited for was Mourinho's Chelsea. Taking all of that into consideration I would sell him in a heartbeat and try to get as much in return as possible.(opposed to keeping him and still paying his salary)

Short answers: Alexis can still prove his worth and he seems capable of doing it. If not, we can get 20 mil for him when he fecks off to China.
Rom needs to be moved on unless he loses 7-8 Kg's and suddenly turns into Ronaldinho.

Fans like you must love the tabloids. Eating up the massively inflated figures and passing them on as fact.

Lukaku now 300k a week?

 

[crossy1686]

Think they both serve a purpose and give us a different outlet at the moment. Let's not forget that our attack down the right hand side has been woeful when you look at the stats but both our goals came from that side when Lukaku played the other night.

Sanchez for me has to start producing the goods and soon otherwise it doesn't make sense to pay him 'Messi' wages if we're getting 'Albrighton' returns. Suspect he'll get another season under new management before any decisions are made. Would like to see some exciting youth signed in the summer to push for his place in the squad, then we'll see if he can up his game or sit on the bench.

 

[Jeffthered]

A good thread and good questions.

If (if...) Ole/Phelan can begin to get the best out of Sanchez, then we would be crazy to let him go. He can take us up another level. Playing well, Alexis Sanchez is absolute class and will improve us, significantly. On form, he would be our best attacker/forward, he simply has more quality, prescence and experience. Not every attacker requires 'blistering pace'... In fact I would say most of the most effective attackers are not (correction) incredibly quick. A decent side certainly does require pace as an attacking unit, and the ability to move the ball quickly.. but you don't need four 'flyers'. Note Zlatan's impact on Premiership. Talk of him being 30, and seeing this as an issue is daft. Just daft. Perfect age for the squad we have.

His wages are silly, and we should offload some to maybe offset those. But... If he doesn't really fancy Man Utd, or it isn't working out, then he must go.

Lukaku will need to move on I'm afraid. His game isn't good enough to warrant a start, unless Rashford gets injured. It's a shame, but he has not looked like he is going to cut it, and he seems to struggle with the Man Utd 'lead' striker role. But... We will get super money for him... Because he will be v v good for another club.

But I still think Ole/Phelan are finding out about the squad. I do not think they think '..we have the players we want...'. It's work in progress.

 

[jeff_goldblum]

Both have something to offer, as they both demonstrated the other day. I like Rom in that right-wing role, think he could have some real joy there where he'll have more space and be able to use his pace a bit more. Having him at the backpost when he attack from the left will also allow him to isolate his opposing fullback, or drag a centreback out of position to cover him and create more space through the middle.

 

[Class of 63]

Can we not just be happy that we've got a phenomenal array of talent to chose from up front without trying to sell one or two of them off just yet, let's see if Chong, and/or Greenwood can cut the mustard first, or one bad injury which can happen at any time, and a suspension and we may find ourselves going into a Champions League semi-final with Fellaini and Solskjær up top.

 

[The Boy]

What is it with this forum and wanting to sell good players? Thank feck you’re nowhere near the club’s operations.

If City have a full fit squad then at least one of Sane, Sterling and Mahrez sit out. Two of De Bruyne, Silva, Bernardo and Gundogan sit out. Jesus sits on the bench, anyway. Can’t you see what’s going on Spurs? Kane and Alli get injured and the world behaves as if Spurs are finished. Lack of depth being the reason why.

There’s talk of getting rid of Mata on here - even though he apparently wants to stay in a squad role. Bloody brilliant. Let’s keep him. How many other teams have a fifth or sixth choice attacker as good as Mata? We should be pleased he’s even happy to stay put, to be honest. He’s a great option.

If Lukaku and Sanchez want to leave then the situation changes, but under an attacking manager (at long last) there will be enough games and (hopefully) goals to keep them happy. Just like City.

We’re not talking about Darmian and Rojo here. First team players that never play and are quite clearly not good enough to play for the club. That’s who we get rid of. That’s who we replace. Not Lukaku and Sanchez for feck sake.

This, any club out there would love to have Sanchez and Lukaku if they could afford them, you're in a brilliant situation with a really strong attacking line up and real strength and depth.

Only six weeks ago some people on here were happy to see the back of Pogba, Martial, Rashford was never going to be world class etc etc

See how Lukaku and Sanchez pan out in the coming months, Sanchez is a massively talented player and Lukaku can be extremely powerful and scare the sh*t out of defences. Just because Martial and Rashford are hitting good form, dont chuck everything else away, the match against Arsenal proved that both these guys can do a big job and with matches coming thick and fast, they'll hardly be sitting on the bench all the time doing nowt. In 99 you had four forwards for two places and they all did a massive job, 2018 you have 6 for 3 places ... they will all be used.

 

[Smashin]

Yes 90M is still alot of money, but realistically who should United get as replacement? That is a definitive improvement.

Kane? Lewa?
There aren't many options around and any of them would mean breaking the bank, and i'm not sure if the club is willing to do it.

 

[cyril C]

So, if Alexis sits on the bench for 500K a week, how much should Pogba ask for his new contract? A million?

At least the Alexis deal was a swap, a free deal. Lukaku cost us 90 mil and is still on 300K a week. If he stays here for 4 years we would spend 160-180 mil on him(depending on what bonuses he has in his contract). So more than 150mil on a player that can't stop a ball even if his life would depend on it.

I'm not saying that Rom doesn't have his strengths or that he's the worst ST alive, but he just doesn't suit us or any top team at the moment. The only team he was suited for was Mourinho's Chelsea. Taking all of that into consideration I would sell him in a heartbeat and try to get as much in return as possible.(opposed to keeping him and still paying his salary)

Short answers: Alexis can still prove his worth and he seems capable of doing it. If not, we can get 20 mil for him when he fecks off to China.
Rom needs to be moved on unless he loses 7-8 Kg's and suddenly turns into Ronaldinho.

You are assuming someone will pay us 20m WHILE paying Sanchez 500K a week.

 

[ArjenIsM3]

You are assuming someone will pay us 20m WHILE paying Sanchez 500K a week.

He's not on 500k though, that's only if you include all image rights and bonuses (which he doesn't get if he doesn't play, and he hasn't played much. His basic salary is 350k IIRC.

 

[StrettyEnder07]

Rom has 3 goals and 2 assists in his limited game time since Ole has come in, Sanchez looked far more like it on Friday, Rom caused Arsenal all sorts of problems.

If you can slim Rom down a bit and get him back to power and pace then he can still be a major asset for us. If we let Rom go and say right Rashford is our number one striker, we could have a similar position to Spurs where no one wants to come in and bit whipping boy to Harry Kane so you would struggle to attract the same quality as what is being let go.

On the other hand, do you promote Greenwood to the first team picture and have him as back up to Rashford?

I would see how it plays out until May, if Rom carries on with these kind of numbers we can get a huge price if we do sell, same with Sanchez. But having Martial/Sanchez fight for the left, Rom/Rashford for No. 9 and hopefully a new RW/Lingard for the right, in a very very strong position.

Before we get rid of proven Premier League quality for no apparent reason, we have a fair bit of deadwood to get rid of first, lets worry about getting rid of Rojo, Jones, Darmian, Valencia Fellani before we start binning off players who now look like they could contribute.

 

[PeteManic]

Rom has 3 goals and 2 assists in his limited game time since Ole has come in, Sanchez looked far more like it on Friday, Rom caused Arsenal all sorts of problems.

If you can slim Rom down a bit and get him back to power and pace then he can still be a major asset for us.

I get the impression that Rom struggles with pressure. At least "being the main target man" type of pressure.

He scores A LOT of goals for Belgium and has played in different positions for them. He always looks like he enjoys playing with the national team more.

I think he is a huge asset but if used in a more squad type situation. Being the manager's first choice no.9 goalscorer doesn't suit him I think. The balls bounce of him and he seems to get more stressed. I thought he was very good against Arsenal. Very very good.

 

[Ricardo de la Vega]

Lukaku can go. Every good performance he gives might salvage some of his value. Sanchez I would like to see get a run in the team; Front 3 rotation of Martial/Lingard, Rashford and Sanchez would be interesting.

 

[StrettyEnder07]

I get the impression that Rom struggles with pressure. At least "being the main target man" type of pressure.

He scores A LOT of goals for Belgium and has played in different positions for them. He always looks like he enjoys playing with the national team more.

I think he is a huge asset but if used in a more squad type situation. Being the manager's first choice no.9 goalscorer doesn't suit him I think. The balls bounce of him and he seems to get more stressed. I thought he was very good against Arsenal. Very very good.

I think he needs to build his confidence up again, under Jose, getting one chance per game if that, if he missed he would get hammered so he was probably getting stressed over that, similar to what a lot of them were under Jose.

Hopefully he will settle down, bit of trust from the manager, the way we are playing and creating now, he should in theory get a lot more chances, so see how we are at the end of the season, we can do far worse than Rashford, Lukaku and hopefully Greenwood breaking on the scene as well.

Lukaku still has 29 in 57 starts for United, with most of those starts being under Jose and his refusal to attack, not bad considering a lot have put him on the scrapheap already.

Nothing like supporting your players on here, same clowns that wanted Lindelof sold after the Huddersfield game last year no doubt

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

The thing with both Sanchez and Lukaku is that when we put them in, the attacking dynamics are ruined because the both are different to the players they are coming in for - Rashford and Martial. Add Mata to that list too when he comes in for Lingard.

The reason I agreed that we should cut our losses is because if we want to play the same way, we need to be getting players of a similar style, otherwise as I said, it ruins the dynamics of the team.

 

[MrSingh2002]

Yes immediately.

Get another big man upfront and replace Sanchez and Mata with wingers capable of being good alternatives to Martial and Lingard.

 

[buckooo1978]

given they are on 500k-600k a week combined if we could sell both you'd do it

you don't pay that kind of money to squad players and that's all they will be with Martial and Rashford both superior and improving still

Lukaku we would shift easily I think - and get 50/60 million minimum and he's a guaranteed goal scorer for a team like West Ham

Sanchez I'm not so sure- he'd probably go on a free to make the deal feasible for an elite side

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Would replace for Vardy and Thauvin in a heart beat.

 

[littleman]

We can decide at the end of the season.

So far yes.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Yes immediately.

Get another big man upfront and replace Sanchez and Mata with wingers capable of being good alternatives to Martial and Lingard.

I wouldn't want another 'big man' up top. We need someone agile - someone who is comfortable in all areas like Rashford.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Sanchez no way, with Lukaku i am losing patience and i was his huge fan

 

[groovyalbert]

It's looking like we could do with fazing out Lukaku, Sanchez and Mata.

Can't do all 3 at the same time, not without taking huge risks on replacements.

Reckon Mata will be the first seeing as he's probably the easiest to replace price wise. Lukaku - if he fails to get lean and improve his touch - will likely be next due to having decent re-sale still.

Can see Sanchez sticking around, though he's probably the bet of the 3. Shame about the contract, mind.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Would replace for Vardy and Thauvin in a heart beat.

Vardy 32 years old

 

[lysglimt]

3-4 months ago - Matic was useless and Jones still is the worst defender in the league according to some.

Let's give them until the end of the season with a decent manager before we decide -

 

[Greck]

Yeah cut our losses. For their lack of quality they probably don't see themselves as backups, lukaku especially. Giving them sympathy starts will eventually become unbearable when they repeatedly stink up the joint and block the path for youngsters. A squad player needs to be content if the coach doesn't give him starts for a month and that's not Lukaku