What’s happened to Romelu Lukaku?
Having scored 11 goals in his first 10 games for Manchester United, the big Belgian was looking like a steal at £75 million but, in recent weeks, Lukaku has looked like a shadow of the man whose Old Trafford career got off to a dream start.
One goal in his last 11 appearances for the Red Devils and a complete lack of confidence in front of goal of late has United fans all asking the same question… What’s happened to Romelu Lukaku?
Manager Jose Mourinho has bizarrely claimed that his forward simply needs a new boots deal while Rio Ferdinand has suggested that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return to fitness is playing on Lukaku’s mind.
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Well, according to the folks on the latest Defending in Numbers podcast, neither excuse is the reason for the 24-year-old’s woes.
“He’s not helped by playing in this Mourinho team,” guest Adam Boultwood said. “He doesn’t get the service that maybe he does for Belgium.”
Lukaku has been scoring for fun for his national team, finding the net on four occasions in his last three games for his country.
So perhaps it’s Mourinho’s system which is to blame…
Fellow guest Jake Entwistle gave his take on the matter: “At the beginning of the season, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was moved centrally and everyone forgot that he played centrally so didn’t really bother about him and Mkhitaryan was pulling the strings. His chance creation numbers have dried up.
“Paul Pogba got injured which meant that there was no deeper penetration.
“They haven’t got a right winger who’s any good at being a right winger. They’ve played Mata out there, Jesse Lingard has come in.
“Recently they’ve been trying Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in the same team and I still think that dynamic is really skewed. They’ve both been playing on the left and you’re trying to put one out wide right, against their natural instincts.
“There’s a lack of balance and that’s probably why Jose Mourinho ends up defending the games because he thinks he can set his team up that way solidly – Ashley Young as left wing-back and Antonio Valencia as right wing-back with three central midfielders – and he knows how to win that way.
“Lukaku’s been a victim of it and he’s been frustrated. And that’s obviously come to the fore with aiming two kicks at Gaetan Bong.”
