[Black Adder]

If, and that's a big if, he can lose some weight and try to go for leaner stature then there's still a good player in him since this version of Lukaku is useless.

He lost every bit of explosiveness he had, and he's no where near pacey as he used to be. Now if this bulking up means he can handle CB with ease than I would understand, but he's a soft for a big player and no amount of weight will change that (Dwight Howard in NBA comes to mind).

 

[John Blund]

Looking at old clips of Lukaku in Everton and Chelsea, he's lost a lot as a player after gaining weight. Zlatan did the same early in his Juve spell.

 

[Foxbatt]

You do not need to bulk up to handle defenders. None of our recent strikers were bulked up. They were simply good enough to play football without all that bulking up.

 

[Darlington Padgett]

Just let him go to anywhere he wants to go. Lukaku cannot afford to be on the bench for United or else he may lose his place for Belgium. Who are his competitors for the Belgium side?

He said he didn't want to play for belgium anymore so I don't think he cares about that.

 

[BigBebe]

Over a week later, I am still having flashbacks to this moment. It is sooooo bad, genuine playground stuff.

 

[Foxbatt]

He said he didn't want to play for belgium anymore so I don't think he cares about that.

He is only supposed to be 25 and he is retiring from International football?

 

[Wheato]

I can see quite a few on here are writing off Lukaku, and I can see all the reasons why. He is our most costly striker. The main target man upfront. When he first came he was lean and hungry, scoring goals for fun, a shadow of the player he is now.

What happened? I would put the blame firmly at Mourinho's door. He left Lukaku up front on his own with no service from midfield or from the wings. We set up defensively, and rarely crossed the halfway line en mass, this left him playing with his back to goal and out-marked by multiple defenders. Before long he became a dejected figure, trudging about in a hopeless pursuit. He lost his edge, his match sharpness, and eventually his conditioning. Everyone said he needed a rest after the World Cup, and Jose was the last to acknowledge this.

If I was involved in the coaching staff, I would take him out of the squad for a few weeks, maybe send him over to the states for some intense conditioning training, working on his speed and losing a few pounds in the process. Then I would go back and look at the tapes of all the goals he scored and work out what makes him excel. What does he thrive on. Is it playing off the shoulder of defenders, and running onto balls over the top? Is it running into the box and heading in crosses? Or is it running onto through balls? We know what it isn't, and that is playing with his back to goal as the lone striker.

Next, I would have training sessions dedicated to employing all the methods that Lukaku thrives on. We know the midfielders can provide this, because it worked a treat when he first joined us. Pogba was picking him out for fun. If we all agree that Rashford is currently our main man and we have set the team up to play to his strengths, with the high press, one touch quick passing moves and catching teams on the counter, then we also need to prepare a plan B which incorporates the best of Lukaku, maybe even with Sanchez as a number 10.

It can work, we once had four very good strikers in our squad with very different strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Foxbatt]

Of course Jose is to blame. Lukaku is no Drogba. The only similarities are that they are from the same ethnicity and they both look big. That is it.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

There's a good player in there somewhere, just a shame he's inside a fat suit.

 

[EasyE]

 

[onemanarmy]

He said he didn't want to play for belgium anymore so I don't think he cares about that.

Bullshit.

 

[Foxbatt]

Players like RVN has very good ball control too and can poach goals. The same witk Goal King Cole. Hernandez is not a bad dribbler and is a very good header of the ball. But Lukaku does not seem to have any of those things at all.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Interesting to hear Rossi single him out as someone doing amazing things in training. Fits with whatever issue stops him performing being in his head, rather than him actually being the pub footballer so many think he is.

 

[Pass and Move]

For someone so big and strong he's simply too easy to dispossess. When he has his back to goal with a defender on his back he seems like a fat guy trying to find his own penis. The ball is right under him and gets nicked away every time. Why are the coaches not telling him to lean back with one foot on the ball out in front of him? It's infuriating.

 

[Mike Smalling]

For someone so big and strong he's simply too easy to dispossess. When he has his back to goal with a defender on his back he seems like a fat guy trying to find his own penis. The ball is right under him and gets nicked away every time. Why are the coaches not telling him to lean back with one foot on the ball out in front of him? It's infuriating.

This is by far the most annoying thing about Lukaku. He is completely unable to leverage one of his biggest strengths. I've also noticed that when he manages to create space for himself to get the shot away through quick feet, a few stepovers, etc., the shot is always extremely tame - typically flat and straight at the goalkeeper. I think this happened versus Newcastle, for example.

I'm still optimistic for Lukaku, but the list of things to fix is just so long, and right now he won't even get in the team. All he can do is make a positive impact, when coming off the bench.

 

[Cee90]

In my opinion, he has the ability of a poacher, but the build of a target man.

You’d think he’d excel as a target man, but he just doesn’t. He is an out and out poacher, and we should start playing him like one.

 

[Foxbatt]

In my opinion, he has the ability of a poacher, but the build of a target man.

You’d think he’d excel as a target man, but he just doesn’t. He is an out and out poacher, and we should start playing him like one.

I would agree with you about him not being a target man but he seems to be on his back foot most of the time now. He is always a second or two late. I was surprised that he scored against Newcastle because of him being on the back foot. A poacher is someone like Hernandez who is always on the move. Lukaku it so static.

 

[ash_86]

For someone so big and strong he's simply too easy to dispossess. When he has his back to goal with a defender on his back he seems like a fat guy trying to find his own penis. The ball is right under him and gets nicked away every time. Why are the coaches not telling him to lean back with one foot on the ball out in front of him? It's infuriating.

Pretty much this. Even likes of Glen Murray could hold onto the ball as much as he wants. He is so bad back to the goal.

 

[Foxbatt]

It seems that he does not know what is going around him most of the time. The one where he lets the ball bounce in front of him and the defender coming and heading it away comes to mind. Many a times, he seems to get his bearing lost. His own dummy to no one in particular or his headers to no one in particular comes to mind. I think he panics now too much when he gets the ball. I think it is a lot to do with his mental status. You can see that everytime he receives the ball, he wants to do everything so quickly. He needs to calm down and keep possession without trying to do anything instantly with the ball.

 

[Minkaro]

He is only supposed to be 25 and he is retiring from International football?

Do you not believe he’s 25?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Interesting to hear Rossi single him out as someone doing amazing things in training. Fits with whatever issue stops him performing being in his head, rather than him actually being the pub footballer so many think he is.

He's not going to say he's a complete bag of potatoes, he can hardly say anything else. The only thing that matters in one the pitch, and we know that's not been good enough.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

He's not going to say he's a complete bag of potatoes, he can hardly say anything else. The only thing that matters in one the pitch, and we know that's not been good enough.

He wasn’t asked a specific question about Lukaku. He was asked about training in general. If Lukaku was playing as badly in training as he has been recently in matches why would Rossi say this about him?

“Lukaku has been doing amazing things in training. It’s a pleasure to be around these great strikers.”

Why not mention Sanchez? Or Martial? Or Pogba instead?

Obviously the most important thing is what he produces in matches but it’s interesting to hear opinions on how he performs when we’re not watching. I find it interesting anyway.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Just to add to Rossi’s comments:

”He’s a big part of the squad, definitely," Solskjaer stressed of Lukaku. "With his personality around the place. There’s no one scoring as many goals as him in training.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

He's obviously not a pub team standard player, but he's been putting in pub team standard performances at times this season. The one at home to Juventus in particular springs to mind.

 

[Foxbatt]

I do not think he has ever been a technical player. But how did he score so many goals for Everton? Did any other Everton player come close to his goals during his time there?

 

[adexkola]

Interesting to hear Rossi single him out as someone doing amazing things in training. Fits with whatever issue stops him performing being in his head, rather than him actually being the pub footballer so many think he is.

I mean... It's the Cafe. Of course it wouldn't be that.

He'll be fine. All our strikers will have dips in form, especially the young ones. Lukaku will be fine.

 

[staniswin]

Will he accept his position as squad player now ? unless Rashford is injured ( which we hope not ) He isn't going to start.

 

[roseguy64]

I do not think he has ever been a technical player. But how did he score so many goals for Everton? Did any other Everton player come close to his goals during his time there?

He was in better shape and a better frame of mind. Example being last season, he had periods where he wasn't scoring but he was contributing lots to the team's attacking play. Don't even need to look at his Everton days.

 

[haram]

Will he accept his position as squad player now ? unless Rashford is injured ( which we hope not ) He isn't going to start.

Accept what? He will keep fighting and working hard to get back into the first eleven like everyone else.

Do people think Romelu is just going to sit there and say “ok, I’ll just be a bench player” after working so hard to reach United in the first place.

 

[sullydnl]

Will he accept his position as squad player now ? unless Rashford is injured ( which we hope not ) He isn't going to start.

Why would he accept it? If Rashford hits poor form while Lukaku is in good form then he can get his place back.

Beyond that, Solskjaer isn't the permanent manager. So even if Solskjaer decides that Rashford will start ahead of Lukaku no matter what, a new permanent manager might see it differently.

 

[RedStarUnited]

put everything to the side - How is he so bad in the air? He is impossibly bad at winning anything in the air.

 

[Minimalist]

Looked like he tried a bit harder than the Spurs game anyway. Not much else to comment on.

 

[Milo2035]

better CB than Jones

 

[shamans]

Come on Lukaku literally all you have to do is use your strength and speed to run around in the last quarter of the game and put them on the back foot!

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Looked really poor. I honestly think Glen Murray would be a better squad option than him at the moment. He can't do anything right nowadays, looked a bit slimmer but that's about it. We may well have to call time on this purchase.

 

[MadDogg]

He was better than against Spurs, I'll give him that.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

2 notable touches today.
1. another awful back flick .
And
2. a good clearance when we were under pressure in the dying minutes.

 

[Get In Scholesy]

We have to stop utilizing him as a back to goal striker. He is too fast and powerful but his touch is poor.

Play him in behind all the time. Let his pace and strength do the work, not his abysmal touch.

 

[Rash Decision]

It's not Lukaku's fault but I really dislike how the team seems to start lumping aerial balls towards him the moment he gets on the pitch.

 

[Devil may care]

Made a very important clearence but we need to stop lumping balls up to him as he wins next to nothing in the air.