[UncleBob]

Don't agree with that, to be honest. Thought he played really well outside of just scoring goals. He looked really sharp and fast and was a lot better than "quite good" against Brazil. He's playing awful now, but the signs in the World Cup were positive. He looked fit and everything was pointing to him having a good season with us.

Alas, that's not the case at the moment.

I thought his World Cup performance was more or less what we saw last season. There were positive and negative signs. The negative signs are the same as before, his general technique (both in terms of controlling and passing) lets him down a bit too often. Several times where he had inch perfect passes played to him and he couldn't control the ball, it either bounced off him or allowed the defender to move in and block. His lay offs are brutal at times, can't keep the ball down.

I thought Martinez used him the right way though, tried to keep him as involved as possible in the match, not as a lone target up front.

 

[UncleBob]

I think he’ll be out once another manager comes in. He isn’t cut out for this level, but he’ll score goals at a lower prem team. With the money going in the league these days I doubt we’ll struggle to get a buyer for him.

Can’t see most managers who would probably come in to this job looking at him and thinking that this is the man to spearhead their attack.

Doubt it. I reckon a new manager would work more on limiting the distance between the players, and get Lukaku more involved in the general play. Too often we have limited passing oppertunities because the players are more or less waiting for the player with the ball to do something special to create a chance.

 

[el3mel]

He was truly a glorious man. That season was one of my favorite individual seasons by any player ever

The guy came in and no time became my most favorite player in the team. I don't remember loving player that stayed that short time here as much ws him.

 

[Cloud7]

The guy came in and no time became my most favorite player in the team. I don't remember loving player that stayed that short time here as much ws him.

Same. Hat trick on his first start, that free kick against city, the volley to seal the title, to name but a few

 

[Cloud7]

Problem with that is we need to buy a new RW, a CDM as Matic's getting on, a CB probably, and a RB if Dalot does not settle in quickly. We also have no true #10 which is scandalous for a top club, as we won't be playing 4-3-3 all the time. And this is the minimum requirement.

I don't see us going for a new striker next summer with all the other positions that require attention. Maybe the summer after next, possibly.

That is a fair point, and I think it would depend on how much of his fee we can recoup. If we get say a 70 million offer for example, I can see it being accepted. In the interim I think Sanchez would be seen as a more viable option up top, until a proper solution to our CF presents itself. Just my thoughts of course, but looking at the strikers used by the top clubs around Europe, and even the tier 2 clubs, its hard to see which manager of one of these teams really wanting Lukaku long term.

 

[Rozay]

Problem with that is we need to buy a new RW, a CDM as Matic's getting on, a CB probably, and a RB if Dalot does not settle in quickly. We also have no true #10 which is scandalous for a top club, as we won't be playing 4-3-3 all the time. And this is the minimum requirement.

I don't see us going for a new striker next summer with all the other positions that require attention. Maybe the summer after next, possibly.

We don’t need a RB to replace Dalot. We do need one to back him up though, while Valencia is sent to a firing squad.

 

[DanNistelrooy]

His legs look worryingly heavy. The attempts at dribbling in the past few games have reminded me of my Sunday league games with 15 mins to go where your legs are like jelly. He is clearly not fit IMO as last season he was certainly running the channels and actually sprint - needs dropping / spending some time in the gym to work on fitness. I was watching some of his Everton goals and I am in no doubt he has bulked up too much.

What the worrying thing is, this could just be a result of him starting to lose his legs, his professional career started very early.

 

[Jagga7]

I said it from day one his movement is poor but at the same time we are not playing to his strengths. We don't want him trying step overs on the right wing. We should be getting the ball wide and whipping in crosses for him as he's very good in the air. However we play with little width and rarely cross.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

What makes you say that?

See if instead of hitting it again with his left back towards his right and instead pushed it out that would have been an impressive bit of skill I’m going to try this at the next 5’s game.

 

[Fredo]

He should be dropped, I don't see any input that warrants him a first team start every single game.

 

[James Peril]

Yes he has a bad touch, a very bad one and seems to be lazy lately, always sitting in the box doing nothing and not putting himself available in the construction phase.

He's out of form and, most importantly, tired as fek. The guy was sweating like shite in the 60th minute and you can;'t say that he ran like a horse in the 1st 60 minutes.

He really needs a rest.

You’re painting a picture that he’s fatigued, even over-trained, I beg to differ. He is too fecking heavy, or just out of shape on the cardiovascular side. Look at every top striker in Europe and then look at Lukaku, he is like 10 kg heavier than all the other players. I put on muscles last year and football became harder, I became slower and less agile. Then I droppes the gym for 6 months, lost kilos and suddenly became much better on the ball. It’s not rocket science, footballers don’t get anything for free with those extra pounds. Lukaku looks like he weighs over 100 kilos, it’s just unheard of at the top level.

 

[Oldham]

He is just shocking right now.
Should be dropped and play Martial, Rashford or even Sanchez as a striker...

 

[sullydnl]

You’re painting a picture that he’s fatigued, even over-trained, I beg to differ. He is too fecking heavy, or just out of shape on the cardiovascular side. Look at every top striker in Europe and then look at Lukaku, he is like 10 kg heavier than all the other players. I put on muscles last year and football became harder, I became slower and less agile. Then I droppes the gym for 6 months, lost kilos and suddenly became much better on the ball. It’s not rocket science, footballers don’t get anything for free with those extra pounds. Lukaku looks like he weighs over 100 kilos, it’s just unheard of at the top level.

Surely to god that's something the fitness staff should be able to spot and correct? I mean it's not like it would be down to a lack of professionalism on the player's part, it would be down to him working too hard in the gym.

 

[cantaldo]

I can't think of how far back that we would have to go to find a first choice striker for this club as bad as lukaku, he would be 5th choice in the 98/99 season, this club should not even have a big lumps with no first touch as a back up striker let alone as it's first choice one.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I have faith in Lukaku to turn this around, but he is in really bad form right now. He needs to have a break and re-evaluate what he's doing on the pitch.

We need to change how the team plays and I think having a front 4 of Rashford/Martial/Sanchez/Mata would be good for Newcastle.

 

[finneh]

He's simply not a good footballer and hasn't been on the whole for 12 months, after an admittedly good start.

You break him down as a footballer and genuinely can't see how he was ever signed, which is in my view the biggest stain on Mourinho there is. He can't pass effectively, he can't hold the ball up effectively, he can't head the ball effectively, he can barely run at all and technically he has to be one of the poorest players in the top half of the Premier League.

My view is that either he's dropped by Mourinho, who may then have the chance at keeping his job past this season; or he's dropped when a new manager is employed in the Summer. Klopp dumped Benteke as soon as he took over as he simply wasn't good enough. Guardiola dropped Hart (among others) for the exact same reason.

Part of me thinks we're not actually doing that badly this season considering we've essentially been playing with ten men in each game... It's bizarre considering Mourinho has three much better players at his disposal whose preferred position is central in Sanchez, Martial & Rashford. Hell we even have Fellaini who would be far superior up front.

 

[Foxbatt]

Being fat or bulky has got nothing to do with his technique.
His movements off the ball has always been terrible. His first touch is always poor. He is a decent striker in a mid table side.
Yes Jose has made it worse by the way we play too.

 

[Beagle]

He was truly a glorious man. That season was one of my favorite individual seasons by any player ever

Never forgave him for missing that good chance away at Madrid.

 

[Acole9]

His poorest match for us. His movement was almost non existent, kept getting in the way of Sanchez.

 

[JohnnyKills]

If we used Lukaku in a rotation system, starting him against weak teams and bringing him off the bench against strong ones, that'd be fine. But the fact that he plays every game is ridiculous. It's meant that our two most talented young players have gone backwards and our attacking play has become stilted and predictable. It hasn't even helped Lukaku himself.

 

[Hawks2008]

Awful player.

 

[manutddjw]

He’s a lot better than what he’s shown lately, but in the end he’s still not the standard that we need. When Zlatan went down it was decided we needed a striker which is understandable. I get there is a limited amount of top strikers available but that number was dropped even further because apparently a striker for our manager has to be over 6 foot and physically strong. Not like Jesus, Aguero, Suarez or Firmino score goals despite their size but Mourinho.

 

[Foxbatt]

Of course he is terrible now. He never was a world class striker like Drogba. Drogba brings so much to the game.
But it's Jose's fault for buying him
I wish he would get dropped.

 

[Rash Decision]

If we used Lukaku in a rotation system, starting him against weak teams and bringing him off the bench against strong ones, that'd be fine. But the fact that he plays every game is ridiculous. It's meant that our two most talented young players have gone backwards and our attacking play has become stilted and predictable. It hasn't even helped Lukaku himself.

We'd first have to have an attacking strategy that doesn't require a big target man central striker though.

 

[BusbyMalone]

Awful player.

I don't think that's true; he's clearly not awful. He's in a really bad place at the moment, but he's a good player who needs to be dropped and rested. Whether you think he's world class and good enough to propel us to where we wanna be, is another matter...

 

[LoneStar]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

That cow would probably score some of the sitters he missed this season.

 

[Kostov]

They were not, he ran around a lot but he was poor, and many were calling for him to be dropped

He has never been this bad. His general play was better than this dross even when he didn’t score.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

He’s a lot better than what he’s shown lately, but in the end he’s still not the standard that we need. When Zlatan went down it was decided we needed a striker which is understandable. I get there is a limited amount of top strikers available but that number was dropped even further because apparently a striker for our manager has to be over 6 foot and physically strong. Not like Jesus, Aguero, Suarez or Firmino score goals despite their size but Mourinho.

When we bought Lukuku can you recall lots of players under 6ft who were available/ gettable?

I don’t rate Lukuku at all, but as I recall there was him or Morata available, and that’s it. You’ve named two city strikers a Liverpool striker and an ex Liverpool striker that all of Utd despise - who are these players we could have bought?

 

[Posh Red]

When we bought Lukuku can you recall lots of players under 6ft who were available/ gettable?

I don’t rate Lukuku at all, but as I recall there was him or Morata available, and that’s it. You’ve named two city strikers a Liverpool striker and an ex Liverpool striker that all of Utd despise - who are these players we could have bought?

It's the clubs job to find that striker. They are rolling in cash and should use that to their advantage when scouting players and looking to sign potential top class strikers. Firmino was not rated as a world class player and didn't cost a fortune but Liverpool had the vision to sign him, and he has now become part of one of the best forward lines in Europe.

This highlights an underlying issue at our club, where we seem mainly interested in signing big name players (especially when it comes to forwards) rather than looking for specific skill sets to fit a specific system/style of play.

 

[Suedesi]

Lukaku is no all round striker. In fact the man looks like he was jogging for 14 hours non stop after 5 min of play. You can't carry that weight around for 90 mins let alone a season. During last night's game Pogba urged him twice to make runs so he can hoof it but he kept walking with those hand of his on his hips but then they all know a steam engine is no sprinter.

He is lucky that Jose - Pogba fiasco are making headlines, helping to cover up his awful performances. Had he took most of the chances in recent games, results might have been different.

 

[André Dominguez]

Never agreed with his transfer, but at the time there were no class strikers available so I kinda understand why our club bought him. But i would prefer to hire a potential striker instead of him: would cost more and the impact on the team would be more or less the same.

 

[Aren86]

Absolutely ridiculous statement....Ask Everton or West Brom fans were his goals kept them up. Oh, you don't get extra points for scoring against the top 4 teams. Oh, you don't score 100 goals wearing timberlands either otherwise there would be more players who'd done it in only 220 games....all the others who have played for prem winning teams where they scored 90% of their scores, maybe except Shearer.

His playing for Man utd not west brom or everton so not quite sure what your on about. Titles are generally decided with top 4 records, so YES you dont get more points but it generally has a bigger impact on the overall table. He wont help that stat though because he flops most big games.

You do score a 100 goals wearing timberlands when you can bully teams with your physical prescence etc and get chance after chance, like Belgium can provide. At united not so much, which is why his lack of clinical finishing affects us so much.
When up against better defenders he rarely performs. Even in the world cup post earlier stages he didnt really look himself.

All other teams who have won prems have had their top goalscorers capable of scoring against the top teams so that points invalid too. Where it matters, the likes of Aguero/Costa would not let you down. Before that RVP/Rooney. Heck even Vardy was fantastic! Even teams that dont win titles have their best goalscorers playing consistently well against top sides (Salah/Kane) making a huge difference.

Lukaku has fluffed about 3/4 key chances for us along this season and we have only hit October. Things could have been so different if he saved a few of 100 of goals for those games.

 

[Canagel]

When we bought Lukuku can you recall lots of players under 6ft who were available/ gettable?

I don’t rate Lukuku at all, but as I recall there was him or Morata available, and that’s it. You’ve named two city strikers a Liverpool striker and an ex Liverpool striker that all of Utd despise - who are these players we could have bought?

We could've got Lacazette who's a better striker. Or we could've kept Martial upfront and built the team around him. It wasn't just Morata and Lukaku. There were options. We only signed Lukaku because we just wanted a target man to replace Zlatan and it just so happened that he was the aapparent choice ignoring the fact he's a rubbish target man. But that's what Jose wants. Which automatically makes the pool of strikers we can choose from limited. Not all strikers have to be big.

 

[Aren86]

Though it ain't responsible for dreadful scoring form. Dreadful coaching, lack of support, and being used as a target man compounds the problem. Each and every player looks better in their international teams, is an indication, what we hired as managers have no clue about how to use our players.

I agree with that in bold. Belgium have some superior midfielders capable of unlocking defences and create great chances so it works.

But how he cant just hold up a ball or play a simple 1-2 or even just convert simple chances, or open goals is beyond me. I dont care whats his done in the past, he needs to at least finish these imo.

He even took an extra touch yesterday (following his stepovers) and managed to play the ball out of play without any pressure on him. Ive never seen a united 1st choice striker so poor.

 

[Sandikan]

We could've got Lacazette who's a better striker. Or we could've kept Martial upfront and built the team around him. It wasn't just Morata and Lukaku. There were options. We only signed Lukaku because we just wanted a target man to replace Zlatan and it just so happened that he was the aapparent choice ignoring the fact he's a rubbish target man. But that's what Jose wants. Which automatically makes the pool of strikers we can choose from limited. Not all strikers have to be big.

No chance.
It shouldn't be forgotten how many goals Lukaku has consistently scored in this league, for weaker teams.

 

[Sandikan]

Of course he is terrible now. He never was a world class striker like Drogba. Drogba brings so much to the game.
But it's Jose's fault for buying him
I wish he would get dropped.

Even for all this emotional posts, Lukaku still has a dead on 1 in 2 league goals record across West Brom, Everton and United.
So I think people are slightly overdoing this talk, as we just look for someone to blame, and find everyone!

A better question, is who is actually playing well right now?
I'd say Shaw, and stop there.
Even De Gea has suddenly started punting balls out of play under no pressure

 

[Witchking]

A good striker pulls out a goal out of nowhere when the chips are down. Lukaku doesn't have that. He relies on the team always and his output is negligible if he doesn't score unless he is given a football field full of space to cross from the right wing where he can place a decent cross in.

He doesn't bring in other players around him in to the game as he is unable to hold the ball off the defenders when this should be a piece of cake with his physique.

He doesn't have a good touch and this lets him down in matches where a good touch can create a good opening for the team or free up some space for himself. Not having a good touch is what makes him either wait for the ball to be in his comfort zone like the one in the last PL game or hurry in to a touch which makes him lose the ball and give it away.

He has no passing skills to speak of. No ball winning capabilities, no aerial presence unless its a cross in the box which he also misses quite often.

He is a limited striker who many thought will up his game at United and that has no happened.

It is due to Lukaku playing as a striker that United's policy is to push the ball to the wings and cross it in. We never play through the middle and other teams know that. Coupled with our slow build up and knowing that we will go to the wings, we are easily found out, we lose the ball and a counter is started which causes panic in the United defence.

Lukaku is the main problem at the club and if Jose has to save his job, he has to drop him. Change the style to play through the middle rather than hoof it to the wings and hope for a decent cross. Both will not happen and the end result is a shite season which majority of the fans expected.

Do not care that he has a record of 1 in 2. He is at United right now and the standards he has set for himself are extremely low. He needs to go along with Jose, Valencia, Matic, Rojo, Jones and Darmian. They are all stealing a living right now.

 

[VorZakone]

Look at goals 6, 14, 17, 19. He looks a different player in terms of composure and forcing goals on his own.

 

[el3mel]

Look at goals 6, 14, 17, 19. He looks a different player in terms of composure and forcing goals on his own.

You have to see the amount of space he was getting in these games. Ridiculous loads of space available for him to burn some pace in. He'll never find this at United. At any big club he faces parked buses and needs tight control and ability to play with his back to the goal to get chances.

 

[Bobski]

I always think some of Lukaku's technical issues are exacerbated by his bulk, and that slimming down would help him, make him more agile, get his feet moving quicker in those key initial moments when the ball is coming. When he gets the ball out of his feet his passing is generally good, hit a beautiful ball out to the left for Rashford early on last night, a sweet ping.

Top speed is fantastic but he is so sluggish when having to turn quickly or adjust to weird bounces.