Selling Lukaku...

RedStarUnited

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
8,083
I said this at the time and during the begining of the season, the fact that we got 65m or whatever for Lukaku last summer was one of the best bits of business we have ever done.in the future, I doubt any other team would have wanted Lukaku as badly as Inter did last year.

Ole took a gamble in not replacing him and trusting Martial/Rashford and to a lesser extent Greenwood. Those 3 owe a lot to Oles trust in them. Now all three players have matched or exceeded Lukakus goal output last year.

Not a big fan of Ole but his squad building has been the best of the last few managers we have had.
 

MadDogg

Full Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
15,810
Location
Manchester Utd never lose, just run out of time
One of the things that kept annoying me was the people saying that we sold Lukaku and replaced him with 17yo Greenwood. In reality we replaced Lukaku with Martial as it was him who took Lukaku's role in the team. Greenwood then took over Martial's old role. Both of them have proceeded to suit the role well and the team as a whole was strengthened because of it.

It was good work by Ole. He was open to buying the right player if they were available (Dybala and Haaland) but was also quite comfortable with what we had. Seems to have been proven correct.
 

Tiber

Full Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
10,231
I love that Inter 'quick fix masterplan' isn't working out
 

El Zoido

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
12,259
Location
UK
People have been using this as a stick to beat Ole with all season, and yes we were left in a difficult situation being without a backup striker until we could bring Ighalo in. We took the right opportunity to sell him even if it did mean we were caught short in the first half of the season, it's not always easy to bring the correct player in. The squad rebuild is going well but it does take time, we need to have patience.
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
We would have been higher up with Lukaku rather than no signing at all and waiting for Greenwood or other youth would come good.
Then if Lukaku would have moaned on the bench we could have sold him and bought a new attacker.
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
It was an excellent decision that has panned out well. It's as clear cut as it gets.
'
How when we are not even top 4? Waiting for attacking signings did hurt us a lot. Although the attack looks very good now and with 1-2 additions can challenge maybe for the league.
 

sammsky1

Pochettino's #1 fan
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
32,841
Location
London
I said this at the time and during the begining of the season, the fact that we got 65m or whatever for Lukaku last summer was one of the best bits of business we have ever done.in the future, I doubt any other team would have wanted Lukaku as badly as Inter did last year.
Ole took a gamble in not replacing him and trusting Martial/Rashford and to a lesser extent Greenwood. Those 3 owe a lot to Oles trust in them. Now all three players have matched or exceeded Lukakus goal output last year.
Not a big fan of Ole but his squad building has been the best of the last few managers we have had.
So despite everything you just wrote above, you're still not a big fan of Ole? :houllier:
Pray tell, what does it take for him to win your highly prized 'support'?
 

red woppit

Full Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
2,229
Location
Buchebi
Supports
Northampton Town
Yep, Ole keeps making these good decisions, and the players seem to respond to him having faith in them. Still a lot of posters who want a new man at the helm, but while he keeps making the right decisions, he will stay. I believe he will grow as a manager/coach over the coming years, but time will tell whether he has the nous to win EPL titles and CL, I hope he does.
 

Rightnr

Wants players fined for winning away.
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
13,881
It was hardly rocket science. Lukaku is not a great striker for our system. He's a big bully poacher.

The scandal with selling Lukaku is that we did not buy players with the money. Fernandes, for example.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
13,127
Supports
Erik ten Hag
I thought it was 74m? which is only 1m lower than when we got him.

I always expect us to sell him around 70m anyway. I just never understand why people don't get that a striker who can score goals will cost lot of money no matter how bad his first touch and ball control. Look at other strikers who are worse than Lukaku, how much those clubs set their price on?
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
38,543
We would have been higher up with Lukaku rather than no signing at all and waiting for Greenwood or other youth would come good.
Then if Lukaku would have moaned on the bench we could have sold him and bought a new attacker.
The same Lukaku who patently wasn't good enough in the system we wanted to adopt? A lot of ifs in your post...

Fact is, we needed patience and the right players in key positions. Bruno has provided the skill in the AM area to release a more mobile front 3. Lukaku for all his ability couldn't do it before and there's no suggestion that he could do it now.
 

Infestissumam

Full Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
2,299
Location
Austria
Lukaku in 18/19 had 15 goals in 3.001 minutes
Greenwood in 19/20 has 15 goals in 1.986 minutes

and that's before you factor in that the kid is only 18 and has spent a lot of time this season on the wing. Martial scoring 20 in Lukakus old role is the icing on the cake.
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
The same Lukaku who patently wasn't good enough in the system we wanted to adopt? A lot of ifs in your post...

Fact is, we needed patience and the right players in key positions. Bruno has provided the skill in the AM area to release a more mobile front 3. Lukaku for all his ability couldn't do it before and there's no suggestion that he could do it now.
We didn't get to see a fully fit Lukaku. He would have been able to work in our system just as he did once in form last term scoring 6 goals in 3 games. I guess if he moaned and wanted out it was right to sell.
Although we should have improved the attack last summer and not in January.
I don't blame Ole that much for that though if Lukaku forced his way out.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

Full Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8,280
The decision was always a masterstroke; & getting the fee we did was credit to Ed & co.

The issue I had was not reinforcing the attack with the money. I thought then & still do now that the £80mil we spent on a limited CB would have been better disposed further forward in the team.

We have the makings of a fabulous front 3 but remove one & the quality drops significantly [Igahlo in the no.9 aside but he’s a short term fix], this isn’t a great league & we could have outscored so many teams we stuttered against had we sign Bruno in the Summer along with an RW.

We’re now as good a goal scoring threat as you’ll find in the league but inconsistent defensively; we should have used the funds differently but Greenwood has finally staked a place in the first 11 so people are forgetting the tumescent performances we witnessed earlier in the season.

We should be in a Top 3 this season not 5th looking for others to drop points.
 

Djemba-Djemba

Full Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
21,157
Location
Manchester
We didn't get to see a fully fit Lukaku. He would have been able to work in our system just as he did once in form last term scoring 6 goals in 3 games. I guess if he moaned and wanted out it was right to sell.
Although we should have improved the attack last summer and not in January.
I don't blame Ole that much for that though if Lukaku forced his way out.
That's not really a defence of Lukaku though.

Why did we not get to see a fully fit Lukaku?

Because he was unprofessional and overweight.
 

KChucky88

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Aug 24, 2017
Messages
106
Location
Barnsley
we need new pure centre striker signing like Harry Kane next season but Martial, Greenwood and Rashford are pure wingers but could be like 98/99 groups
 

GifLord

Better at GIFs than posts
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
22,898
Location
LALALAND
We didn't get to see a fully fit Lukaku. He would have been able to work in our system just as he did once in form last term scoring 6 goals in 3 games. I guess if he moaned and wanted out it was right to sell.
Although we should have improved the attack last summer and not in January.
He's still the same Lukaku we had. Poor first touch, can't shield the ball to save his life, missing chances, pathetic against top teams.
That story about him losing weight in less than a month after going to Inter was too good to be true.
 

RedStarUnited

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
8,083
I thought it was 74m? which is only 1m lower than when we got him.

I always expect us to sell him around 70m anyway. I just never understand why people don't get that a striker who can score goals will cost lot of money no matter how bad his first touch and ball control. Look at other strikers who are worse than Lukaku, how much those clubs set their price on?
Have you seen our record of selling strikers? And Lukaku fits only into some type of teams, he is not an all rounder. Im convinced no one else was going to pay that price for him in the future. Remember had he stayed, we would either have to play him or his value decreases.
 

McGrathsipan

Dawn’s less famous husband
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
24,581
Location
Dublin
'
How when we are not even top 4? Waiting for attacking signings did hurt us a lot. Although the attack looks very good now and with 1-2 additions can challenge maybe for the league.
Lukaku would have slowed the team.
Selling him was right.

The lack of replacing him was another debate
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
That's not really a defence of Lukaku though.

Why did we not get to see a fully fit Lukaku?

Because he was unprofessional and overweight.
Yeah his attitude might have been poor here during the second season.
Maybe he needed a manager to push him harder like Conte is doing.

It all got worse after his injury and he looked like total shit near the end.
Although everyone else did too for other reasons that season.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
13,127
Supports
Erik ten Hag
Have you seen our record of selling strikers? And Lukaku fits only into some type of teams, he is not an all rounder. Im convinced no one else was going to pay that price for him in the future. Remember had he stayed, we would either have to play him or his value decreases.
Who?

Lukaku was 26 means he has lot of years to offer and still proven can score lot of goals. The fact that Juventus was willing to do straight swap deal with Dybala who should be around that fees as well should tell you striker who can score goals like Lukaku will worth lot no matter how poor his first touch & ball control.

On top of it, Lukaku has been Conte's target since at Chelsea, I'm a little bit disappointed that we couldn't use it as advantage to get something more to refund the money we spent for his wages.
 

Cloud7

Full Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
12,776
Selling Lukaku was one of the best transfer moves we ever made. I hated when he was on the field. You always knew what you were going to get, and I prefer Martial up there so much more.
 

Rado_N

Yaaas Broncos!
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
110,905
Location
Manchester
We would have been higher up with Lukaku rather than no signing at all and waiting for Greenwood or other youth would come good.
Then if Lukaku would have moaned on the bench we could have sold him and bought a new attacker.
No chance. He was awful and has said himself that he didn't want to be here.

He has the first touch of a land mine and didn't fit the style of football. Things broke down with him constantly.

Getting rid was entirely the right decision.
 

Kag

Full Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
18,875
Location
United Kingdom
Selling Lukaku was a tremendous decision made by a bloke who knows a thing or two about what a United centre forward looks like.

A repugnant individual in footballing terms, it must be said.
 

U99ted

Full Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
2,349
Lukaku in 18/19 had 15 goals in 3.001 minutes
Greenwood in 19/20 has 15 goals in 1.986 minutes

and that's before you factor in that the kid is only 18 and has spent a lot of time this season on the wing. Martial scoring 20 in Lukakus old role is the icing on the cake.
Lukaku scored every 12 seconds apparently, so I think we should have kept him.
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
No chance. He was awful and has said himself that he didn't want to be here.

He has the first touch of a land mine and didn't fit the style of football. Things broke down with him constantly.

Getting rid was entirely the right decision.
Still on 19 goals in Italy now. We could have used a goalscorer like him even if he is up and down with his touch.
If he wanted to go theen it was right to sell him, but we should have improved the attack last summer.
 

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,002
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
It's the best piece of business we did after selling di Maria. Which is weird because they both were the worst pieces of business the year before.
 

Hammondo

Full Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Messages
6,663
Still on 19 goals in Italy now. We could have used a goalscorer like him even if he is up and down with his touch.
If he wanted to go theen it was right to sell him, but we should have improved the attack last summer.
That's not an impressive amount though.
 

ReddBalls

Full Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2015
Messages
992
Still on 19 goals in Italy now. We could have used a goalscorer like him even if he is up and down with his touch.
If he wanted to go theen it was right to sell him, but we should have improved the attack last summer.
Rashford and Martial has 20 each.
 

RUCK4444

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Messages
9,553
Location
$¥$¥$¥$¥$
I said this at the time and during the begining of the season, the fact that we got 65m or whatever for Lukaku last summer was one of the best bits of business we have ever done.in the future, I doubt any other team would have wanted Lukaku as badly as Inter did last year.

Ole took a gamble in not replacing him and trusting Martial/Rashford and to a lesser extent Greenwood. Those 3 owe a lot to Oles trust in them. Now all three players have matched or exceeded Lukakus goal output last year.

Not a big fan of Ole but his squad building has been the best of the last few managers we have had.
His squad building has been twice as good as all of the previous three managers put together.

The money those three ‘experiences managers’ wasted at this club is nothing short of criminal.

Ole has worked miracles to bring back the club we love to us after six years of misery, we should all respect him for that, even the haters.

I said at the time and got hammered for it that selling Lukaku was the right thing to do for the long term vision of the squad coupled with the money we were being offered. It left us short and Ole maintained he was happy enough with the squad but Ed should have given Ole another striker to work with. Ole got a lot of flack for it but it was necessary.
 

Paul_Scholes18

Full Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
13,891
Rashford and Martial has 20 each.
19 league goals. They got 15 leauge goals each. Anyway they would cooperate as much as compete for a spot.
Having more options is a good thing since somedays it is not just working for your striker and you bring someone else on.

Right now though we don't really need Lukaku with all our attackers playing well. Ighalo from the bench doing a fine job too.
Although for a large part of the season we have needed another striker in the squad. Lukaku or someone else.
 
Last edited:

zacx

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 21, 2017
Messages
8
So despite everything you just wrote above, you're still not a big fan of Ole? :houllier:
Pray tell, what does it take for him to win your highly prized 'support'?
Winning few major titles.... Otherwise he could just ended like Poch.... Great at building the squad.. not so with winning... :houllier:
 

Crackers

greasy ginfers
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
29,321
Location
Glazers Out
Getting rid of him was 100% the correct decision. Buying him got in the way of the development of our younger players, and he never looked like he keep himself 100% here. He'd ignore United doctor advise, injure himself unnecessarily and so on. His play style was also an eyesore and contributed to our atrocious football.
I'm glad he's gone, and we got good money for him too.
 

sammsky1

Pochettino's #1 fan
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
32,841
Location
London
Winning few major titles.... Otherwise he could just ended like Poch.... Great at building the squad.. not so with winning... :houllier:
so you'll only give somebody your support AFTER they have won something? Did I get it right?