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Romelu Lukaku: has the Belgian been a failure at Manchester United?

Romelu Lukaku very much appears to be at a fork in the road in his career. Now 26, the big Belgian endured a disappointing 2018/19 campaign and has been strongly linked with a move to Inter Milan this summer.

Lukaku has become something of a villain amongst United fans with many publicly lamenting his poor touches and link-up play exhibited on many occasions last season.

Lukaku joined the Red Devils in July 2017 and has since scored 28 goals in 66 league appearances. While his season tallies of 16 and 12 goals are not abysmal, his general play and form in comparison to his performances with the Belgian national team have left United fans flustered.

With Jose Mourinho at the helm, Lukaku was meant to fill the void left by the departing Zlatan Ibrahimovic. An initial fee of £75 million was shelled out to secure the striker’s services with Lukaku departing Everton after four seasons on Merseyside.

Having scored 43 goals in his last two seasons with the Toffees, it was hoped that Lukaku would come straight in and finish the chances United were creating but not scoring. He started well enough, with seven goals in his first seven Premier League games with United, but he gradually dropped off from there.

He remained the first choice under Jose Mourinho as the Red Devils finished a distant second in the league in 2017/18, behind their imperious crosstown rivals. 2018/19 started poorly however, and within weeks Mourinho’s future was the speculation of the tabloids.

In early December, Mourinho was dismissed – a 3-1 loss at bitter rivals Liverpool proved the nail in the coffin for the man whose side had not been in the top-four since the opening day.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in a day later and showed no faith in Lukaku, dropping him from the squad entirely in favour of the youthful Marcus Rashford. United bounced back immediately with an impressive unbeaten run, largely spearheaded by impressive performances from Rashford and the rejuvenated Paul Pogba.

That run masked the continuing fragilities of the side however, and the goals once again dried up in attack and began to flow at the other end. Lukaku came back in during the second half of the season, but only managed four league goals under Solskjaer.

And that brings us to the present. While Inter Milan may or may not swoop for the Belgian’s services, he remains a Manchester United player. Do fans have the right to malign him as much as they do? There are valid arguments on both sides – has Lukaku flopped, or has he been worth it?

Flopped – performances against the “top-six”

Despite his proficiency in front of goal in his last season with Everton, many pundits and fans had reservations about Lukaku’s ability against the very best. Those reservations proved founded.

Against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs, Lukaku has managed just one league goal as a Manchester United player, despite leading the line in most of the 20 games he could have played.

That is an abysmal statistic, not least for a player who cost £75 million. A striker of such value was expected to take United to the next level, after years of inconsistency and struggles in front of goal following the departure of Robin Van Persie some years before.

With their main man misfiring against their biggest rivals, it’s hardly surprising that United have failed to win a trophy since Lukaku’s arrival. Fellow United attackers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have better records against the top six (four and five goals respectively), but this is a somewhat misleading statistic…

Worth it – consistent Premier League goals

Lukaku’s 12 league goals last season was the second-highest at the club, behind only Paul Pogba, whose tally of 13 was majorly padded by seven penalties.

The season before, Lukaku managed 16 league goals, seven more than Martial and nine more than Rashford. Though he obviously struggles against the top six, he is still the most regular source of goals for United.

Arguably, United fans should direct more of their anger towards their other attacking players. Rashford played more minutes and started more games than Lukaku last season, but still managed only 10 goals. In fact, last season was his best season’s return.

Obviously, there is less pressure on Rashford because it did not cost anything to bring him to the club. However, there comes a point when the two must be compared directly, and Lukaku must be given more credit.

Flopped – performances nowhere near those in a Belgium shirt

Though it’s perhaps unfair to draw comparisons between a player’s displays for different teams, Lukaku’s performances for Belgium at last summer’s World Cup – in particular the quarter-final against Brazil – had Red Devils fans foaming in the mouth watching their player at his very best.

But he has never shown that level in a United shirt. Displays described as lethargic and lazy are bad at the best of times, but even more irritating when Lukaku appears on fire when playing for his country.

Though his goals at the World Cup came against Panama and Tunisia (lending further weight to the argument that he disappears against good teams), he was excellent all-tournament as Belgium reached the semi-finals. He bullied defenders of the weaker teams and ran Thiago Silva and Miranda ragged against Brazil. In the Premier League however, he is routinely nullified by weaker opposition.

Whether the disparity in performance is through a lack of effort or different tactical setup is harder to pinpoint. But whilst he continues to bag at roughly a goal per game for his national side, Manchester United will expect better in a United shirt.

Worth it – the market

Gone are the days when tens of millions of pounds guaranteed you a match-winner or even an elite footballer. Though Lukaku is the 13th most expensive footballer ever (as of 24/07/19), money has been spent in far worse places over the years – Angel Di Maria for example.

Of course, this does not justify Lukaku’s price tag, but in relative terms, there is a strong argument that £75 million is pretty much bang on what he is worth.

Consider this: Alvaro Morata arrived at Chelsea the very same summer for £15 million less; United were justifiably paying more than Chelsea because Lukaku already had experience in the Premier League, with both players the same age at the time.

Also that summer, Barcelona shelled out £96.8 million to sign Ousmane Dembele. Younger and perceived to have more potential, it made sense that his fee was higher than that of Lukaku.

Of course, external factors mean the argument above is a huge simplification, but even when looking at the price of world-class attacking footballers this year, the £75 million figure appears to be accurate, especially when you consider the extra money Everton would have commanded to release a player to a league rival.

The Next Step

Lukaku has yet to play in this preseason, amid fitness concerns as well as the rumours of a move to Inter. Though his short-term future appears hazy, it is likely another underwhelming season at Old Trafford would signal the end.

If Lukaku stays at United for 2019/20, a 20 goal season would be welcomed with open arms by fans. If not, the jury may be out on Lukaku’s time in Manchester.

Sam Hanys

A miserable Ipswich Town fan.

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