Lukaku and Sanchez - cut our losses? Poll now added

[Litch]

we've seen very little quality this year from our benched players though

Sanchez, Lukaku, Fred and Mata would average about 4/10

Eh....? Haven't Lukaku and Sanchez have assists and scored from the bench. People can have amnesia and wasn't that long people were queuing up to get rid of Rashford or Lingard too who also sat on the bench. Weren't that long Pogba sat on that bench too....

 

[sp_107]

I'm more than happy to keep both as for me the season started 11 games ago for the other players inc the so called 'Virus'. There was lots of discontent about Lingard and Rashford too on here not to mention Lindelof. If others have been given the benefit of the doubt, why shouldn't they? In the 11 games both have contributed in assists or goals from the bench. Sanchez is coming into the team after a series of injuries. No doubt they aren't the form players and Rom doesn't suit the free flowing style but there will be games where you need another way.

Rashford, Lingard, Herrera and Lindelof have got the fundamentals to work in a more fluid system and they just need the backing from the manager ..

I am not sure same thing can be said about Lukaku as his game always built on a pure target man who can bully weak defenders and score plenty of goals against outside top 6.

He can be a success at different club but not at UTD unless we hire big Sam or Jose again

 

[deadrevelz]

Eh....? Haven't Lukaku and Sanchez have assists and scored from the bench. People can have amnesia and wasn't that long people were queuing up to get rid of Rashford or Lingard too who also sat on the bench. Weren't that long Pogba sat on that bench too....

This isn't a dig at you, but I'm tired of people making these generalisations. I've always supported Rashford, Pogba, Martial, Lindelof and Lingard because I could see there was talent and effort there and thought they would eventually come good for us under a new manager. I've never felt that way about Lukaku even when he was playing well. Sanchez I was wrong about, thought he would be great but he's had 12 months now when he should be at his peak and his failed.

To be worthwhile squad members both players have to come back from the summer break completely rejuvenated in fitness, quality, mentality, fit into the playing style, not complain if on the bench and put in top performances when called upon. I reckon the chance of that happening is less than 10%, but if it happens, I will be happy and yes we would have very strong depth up front.

 

[buckooo1978]

Eh....? Haven't Lukaku and Sanchez have assists and scored from the bench. People can have amnesia and wasn't that long people were queuing up to get rid of Rashford or Lingard too who also sat on the bench. Weren't that long Pogba sat on that bench too....

well I can't speak for 'people' and I'm well aware that Lukaku/Sanchez have done something however little

in the last 10/11 games you could point to the Arsenal game as the one time we've used the squad to good effect. Bar that performance Lukaku/Sanchez have had very little impact with Mata/Fred even less

I just don't buy the quality argument you make. Quality maybe based on reputation or pay packet but not by form

the original poster talked about the last 7 years - 7 years ago we'd the likes of Rooney, Hernandez, Kagawa, Nani coming off the bench

out of interest how would you rate the seasons of Lukaku, Alexis, Fred and Mata

 

[2 man midfield]

Sell, sell, sell.

We win games in spite of them these days, not because of them. Lukaku is young enough that a move might light a fire under his arse, but we should be looking to recoup some of that hefty fee while he's still young and has a long enough contract. He has no future here and any fee is only going to fall as he approaches the end of his deal.

Sanchez is a busted flush. China beckons. Bench him until he gets the hint.

 

[Mark Pawelek]

I'd sell both in the summer if there's an opportunity. I think Greenwood would be more a goal threat than either. Realistically, I think Sanchez will be very difficult to move on. Lukaku easier to shift; but probably not for £75m. £60m maybe? If, by some miracle, both go we should buy at least one striker and play Greenwood too, next season, in the last 20 minutes if we are up 3 goals. Lingard and Mata are also less than prolific for forwards. Juan Mata maybe gone in the summer too; but if he goes, it should not stop us selling Lukaku if an opportunity arises.

 

[GavinJames]

They both need to go ASAP, on a combined wage of £750k a week, would bring in Costa (Juventus) and promote Greenwood, would then buy a Rb, Cb and Cm, would have a really good squad of players then.

 

[Litch]

well I can't speak for 'people' and I'm well aware that Lukaku/Sanchez have done something however little

in the last 10/11 games you could point to the Arsenal game as the one time we've used the squad to good effect. Bar that performance Lukaku/Sanchez have had very little impact with Mata/Fred even less

I just don't buy the quality argument you make. Quality maybe based on reputation or pay packet but not by form

The season for most of us started 11 games ago. We have given players most of the team the benefit of the doubt so why can't we give Rom and Sanchez the same? It's hardly like they have had that many opportunities to do so and even then they have contributed. It's typical fan talk as when someone is playing good, we seem to then focus on the ones that aren't. Go back a few months, we were lining up Pogs, Matic et al for the door. You mention form, and we know this can change but we also know how hard that can be coming off the bench, or getting bit part minutes.

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Sell both if we can. We’ve given them enough chances. Lukaku just doesn’t look like a player that suits our style of play and looked like a headless chicken yesterday. Sanchez is just a shadow of the player he was at Arsenal and is on a ginormous weekly wage that his performances for us don't deserve. He looks finished and his best days are unfortunately behind him.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Nobody is recommending the sale of everyone on our bench. Literally nobody.

Puhlease. There is currently next to no first team player outside Ole's current first XI that people on Redcafe are not reccomending for sale.

 

[Litch]

Sell both if we can. We’ve given them enough chances. Lukaku just doesn’t look like a player that suits our style of play and looked like a headless chicken. Sanchez is just a shadow of the player he was at Arsenal and is on a ginormous weekly wage that his performances for us don't deserve. He looks finished and his best days are unfortunately behind him.

Is that enough chances pre or post Ole? If we are talking post Ole, then most of have shite for the last 2 seasons.

 

[RedSky]

I'd also sell both. Lukaku isn't a bad player, but he's a square peg in a round hole right now. It'd be wiser to sell him and use the funds on improving the squad in other positions and promote Greenwood. Sanchez is a bit more straight forward, he's on ridiculous wages and simply hasn't performed close to that level since at United. We gambled on him hoping he'd reclaim his form from a few seasons ago but it looks obvious now that some of us were right to be sceptical about the transfer. It's a shame as I really wanted him way back, came here too late in his career.

 

[lysglimt]

it's costing us 25 million a year to keep for poor relative return - that's the other thing you need to consider

True - but what club would want Sanchez and Lukaku - and be able to afford their wages. If we take the latter - 5-6 clubs in Europe and some chinese clubs. And which of those clubs would want them ?

 

[Zlatattack]

Assuming we're keeping Ole;

Give them till the end of the season. If they fit in fine, if they don't - try to sell.

If it comes to selling I'd like to replace Lukaku with Timo Werner and perhaps reinvest any Sanchez money into a dedicated RW like Sancho.

Personally I think Lukaku will definitely hit form again. Not sure about Sanchez but hope he does.

 

[IronCroos37]

For the right price sell both

 

[buckooo1978]

The season for most of us started 11 games ago. We have given players most of the team the benefit of the doubt so why can't we give Rom and Sanchez the same? It's hardly like they have had that many opportunities to do so and even then they have contributed. It's typical fan talk as when someone is playing good, we seem to then focus on the ones that aren't. Go back a few months, we were lining up Pogs, Matic et al for the door. You mention form, and we know this can change but we also know how hard that can be coming off the bench, or getting bit part minutes.

well you might have wanted Pogba out the door but you would have been in the minority. As for Matic the issue with him is that in spite of his awful form he was never dropped - I'm not advocating selling him but we should be looking to improve upon him

Form is right but Sanchez has been in poor form for 13 months and I see no real sign of that changing - he's got to the end of the season obviously but I find it hard to give him more time beyond that- patience can be expensive when someone is on 350k a week

as for Lukaku you'd question his ability to play at United in the first place. He is lacking technical ability and there are serious questions about his effort and physical state. He's regressed badly at United with his output reducing year on year. From 25 in 37 at Everton, 16 in 34 and this season 8 in 23 he's becoming a 1 in 3 striker. Goals aside he rarely contributes to our all round game given his lack of running or ability to link up. Sadly the Arsenal game was the exception rather than the norm. 10 million a year is crazy for what we are getting and in a world where Richarlison is 50m then we should get 70m from an ambitious West Ham or similar

I'd say both have a few months to improve or they surely need to be moved on

 

[unitedsoldier]

Eh....? Haven't Lukaku and Sanchez have assists and scored from the bench. People can have amnesia and wasn't that long people were queuing up to get rid of Rashford or Lingard too who also sat on the bench. Weren't that long Pogba sat on that bench too....

Absolutely spot on. I can't count how often players are misjudged in here,to the extent of people wanting rid of players before they've had a cohesive manager at the helm. I'm all for wanting rid of players that have been absolutely dire if they've had proper opportunities to prove themselves and they feck it up,but I find some of our fans have a snap trigger without really thinking about the bigger picture. Lukaku and Sanchez in my opinion will come good for us if we are patient with them. I just have this feeling they'll click sooner rather than later eventually. Just my view. Good players in general and they can be great under less chastening management.

 

[buckooo1978]

True - but what club would want Sanchez and Lukaku - and be able to afford their wages. If we take the latter - 5-6 clubs in Europe and some chinese clubs. And which of those clubs would want them ?

Sanchez is a tough one. I think we'd need to let him leave on a free and hope that a club view it as a package

we pay him 18 million a year and a club might see taking him on a free as the same as spending 20 million on a player and paying him 8 million a year on wages - that's just over 150k a week
.
As for Lukaku I think we would shift him easily enough. His reputation is still good and I think a side like West Ham would jump at the chance to break their transfer record for the chance of what they would view as a guaranteed goal scorer - if Lukaku sorts himself out physically he could score 25 a season again at teams like West Ham or Everton - if West Ham are spending 40 on Anderson and Everton 50 on Richarlison then we'd get 60-70 surely

both those clubs are crying out for a striker

there's always the Chinese clubs but I am not sure either player would fancy that

with Lukaku you might be able to use him as part of a deal for another player.....

it won't be easy, particularly in the case of Sanchez

 

[Judas]

I'd feel no sadness of getting rid of both. We could find a backup striker who fits our style better quite easily, and Sanchez has had so little impact there's nothing he'd brought to the table we'd actually miss, so finding someone who could bring more to our team would be as easy as basically signing anyone else.

Such a disappointment, at least there were worries about Lukaku from the start, I had my doubts about him long term, never expected Sanchez to be such a flop.

 

[Judas]

Absolutely spot on. I can't count how often players are misjudged in here,to the extent of people wanting rid of players before they've had a cohesive manager at the helm. I'm all for wanting rid of players that have been absolutely dire if they've had proper opportunities to prove themselves and they feck it up,but I find some of our fans have a snap trigger without really thinking about the bigger picture. Lukaku and Sanchez in my opinion will come good for us if we are patient with them. I just have this feeling they'll click sooner rather than later eventually. Just my view. Good players in general and they can be great under less chastening management.

Based on what? This is the sort of mindset that has troubled the club in the past, keeping hold of players who just aren't the right fit for far too long.

Lukaku isn't a terrible player, but he's just not at the right team, he's not at the right level.

Every single time I watch Sanchez play I feel sad, there's something wrong there. Maybe he'd come good at a different team, but I just don't see any evidence it'll happen here, I hope it does though obviously.

 

[Ibrahimorich]

I'd have given Sanchez a free transfer last summer. It was obvious he was finished. It's even more obvious now. He's the Chilean Wayne Rooney. Get rid ASAP.

 

[Litch]

Absolutely spot on. I can't count how often players are misjudged in here,to the extent of people wanting rid of players before they've had a cohesive manager at the helm. I'm all for wanting rid of players that have been absolutely dire if they've had proper opportunities to prove themselves and they feck it up,but I find some of our fans have a snap trigger without really thinking about the bigger picture. Lukaku and Sanchez in my opinion will come good for us if we are patient with them. I just have this feeling they'll click sooner rather than later eventually. Just my view. Good players in general and they can be great under less chastening management.

Agree and in fairness, it's only been 11 games of which some have had more opportunities to do so than others for lots of seasons. Rom and Sanchez had injuries when Ole took over and I think both have a lack of form and confidence. That's not to say they are better suited to this new style of play, but they have already shown that they can offer something different. Maybe it's me but why wouldn't we want them firing than to sell them. Can you imagine if Ole can get them playing well again....?

 

[el3mel]

Too much wages for little to nothing on the pitch from 2 who are supposedly big players. There's no reason to keep them.

 

[Litch]

Based on what? This is the sort of mindset that has troubled the club in the past, keeping hold of players who just aren't the right fit for far too long.

Lukaku isn't a terrible player, but he's just not at the right team, he's not at the right level.

Every single time I watch Sanchez play I feel sad, there's something wrong there. Maybe he'd come good at a different team, but I just don't see any evidence it'll happen here, I hope it does though obviously.

Is this pre or post Ole. Only you would know but I wonder how you felt about some of the other players before he got here. It's 11 games, these werent bad players before they got here and at times shown their quality. People talk about Pogs in the city game last year but Sanchez was outstanding too. Rom's goals when nobody else was scoring contributed to any success we've had since he came.

 

[Shark]

Sell Sanchez and bring in Son from Spurs. Sell Lukaku and promote Greenwood for the bench.

 

[1988]

I don't see either having an impact next season. We need a 30+ goal striker. Lukaku isn't a 30+ goal striker. Sanchez isn't fit for England any longer and already looking ready for MLS, China or Dubai. If Lukaku is ok being second string I don't mind him staying. Hoping we'll get rid of Sanchez though.

 

[matherto]

Rashford, Lingard, Herrera and Lindelof have got the fundamentals to work in a more fluid system and they just need the backing from the manager ..

I am not sure same thing can be said about Lukaku as his game always built on a pure target man who can bully weak defenders and score plenty of goals against outside top 6.

He can be a success at different club but not at UTD unless we hire big Sam or Jose again

That's a fundamental misunderstanding of Lukaku's game.

He's terrible as a target man, despite his physical qualities. He constantly moans that he wants the ball into feet, or behind a defender so he can run past them with his pace but never to his head or chest so he can hold up play. He's terrible at hold up play, he's terrible at controlling a football so he can't possibly be a target man.

Combine that with the fact that he almost never wins a header against anyone and gets bullied himself by most defenders despite being a tank and nobody really knows what he's actually good at.

Sell Sanchez and bring in Son from Spurs. Sell Lukaku and promote Greenwood for the bench.

Son would cost £100m+

 

[GoldanoGraham]

Sanchez is a tough one. I think we'd need to let him leave on a free and hope that a club view it as a package

we pay him 18 million a year and a club might see taking him on a free as the same as spending 20 million on a player and paying him 8 million a year on wages - that's just over 150k a week
.
As for Lukaku I think we would shift him easily enough. His reputation is still good and I think a side like West Ham would jump at the chance to break their transfer record for the chance of what they would view as a guaranteed goal scorer - if Lukaku sorts himself out physically he could score 25 a season again at teams like West Ham or Everton - if West Ham are spending 40 on Anderson and Everton 50 on Richarlison then we'd get 60-70 surely

both those clubs are crying out for a striker

there's always the Chinese clubs but I am not sure either player would fancy that

with Lukaku you might be able to use him as part of a deal for another player.....

it won't be easy, particularly in the case of Sanchez

I agree - the Sanchez wage - the size of it - has caused endless issues with other players - DDG being one - why would he sign a lesser deal than Sanchez when he is so much more valuable to the club? - if your Sanchez then there is no way your going to be forced out easily - we will end up having to subsidise his salary somewhere - probably to quite a hefty tune - I can see him at somewhere like AC Milan with us still payng out 70+% of his salary just to get him out of the place (our biggest earner is a bench warmer) - the knock-on effects of this signing will be felt for years.......and unfortunately I dont think he will drop down yet to play in china so that probably wont save us either......

 

[cyberman]

Nope.
Sell them in the summer and we have to replace them for squad depth so what happens when we call up Greenwood etc?
Get those two for another year, If they improve then great but we can give our youth a chance to play their way into the first team squad then, when we do sell them, we don't have to bring in those replacements if Greenwood steps up.
Selling them this summer seems like we're adding an extra, unnecessary step

 

[Lennon7]

Nope.
Sell them in the summer and we have to replace them for squad depth so what happens when we call up Greenwood etc?
Get those two for another year, If they improve then great but we can give our youth a chance to play their way into the first team squad then, when we do sell them, we don't have to bring in those replacements if Greenwood steps up.
Selling them this summer seems like we're adding an extra, unnecessary step

Generally agree with this, Lukaku and Sanchez are decent squad players right now, and they clearly have the hunger to want to try and break into the first team. Replacing them could cause more problems.

Saying that, we could definitely do with buying a right winger to add to the squad. Not replace.

 

[Litch]

well you might have wanted Pogba out the door but you would have been in the minority. As for Matic the issue with him is that in spite of his awful form he was never dropped - I'm not advocating selling him but we should be looking to improve upon him

Form is right but Sanchez has been in poor form for 13 months and I see no real sign of that changing - he's got to the end of the season obviously but I find it hard to give him more time beyond that- patience can be expensive when someone is on 350k a week

as for Lukaku you'd question his ability to play at United in the first place. He is lacking technical ability and there are serious questions about his effort and physical state. He's regressed badly at United with his output reducing year on year. From 25 in 37 at Everton, 16 in 34 and this season 8 in 23 he's becoming a 1 in 3 striker. Goals aside he rarely contributes to our all round game given his lack of running or ability to link up. Sadly the Arsenal game was the exception rather than the norm. 10 million a year is crazy for what we are getting and in a world where Richarlison is 50m then we should get 70m from an ambitious West Ham or similar

I'd say both have a few months to improve or they surely need to be moved on

The bit I don't understand is it's accepted that under Jose this was some of the most shite attacking football we have seen in decades. It hurt every single attacking player in different ways. Why would we then judge attacking players based on that context. I agree Rom divided opinions but Im sure there's been games where you've seen what a beast he can be played in the right way.

Maybe it's me but there's not a lot of patience anymore in football and I've been a fan long enough to know you can lose more than you gain for not being. We have nothing to lose, it a climate where good players are not easy to find and given the form of Rashford and Martial, there's no pressure to either.

If we are patience, we might get a absolute goal machine who is a beast when he finds his form; and in Sanchez consistently one of the top 3/4 strikers in the Prem. Want is there to lose and who else is there realistically than the lottery we are already playing?

 

[Litch]

Nope.
Sell them in the summer and we have to replace them for squad depth so what happens when we call up Greenwood etc?
Get those two for another year, If they improve then great but we can give our youth a chance to play their way into the first team squad then, when we do sell them, we don't have to bring in those replacements if Greenwood steps up.
Selling them this summer seems like we're adding an extra, unnecessary step

Agree. Why create problems we don't need. Yes they are on a lot of money but we have the likes of Rojo and Damian that are being paid for offering less. Ole (or Poch) can roll the dice for another season and focus on getting a top class CB.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Why we United fans always think that quality player must be in first 11 or leave. All top clubs have strong bench. Barca, Real, Bayern, City, Chelsea, Psg...they all have high priced players on the bench. We always look that on the bench are players like Mctominay, Pereira, Darmian, Jones...
Having these 2 on the bench is a big strength. You can say what you want about those 2 but they are good players. Lets say we buy right winger and sell those two. We would have perfect attacking trio plus only Lingard in rotation. Yes, there will be Chong and Greenwood but they are not good enough yet to play 20-30 games per season.

Of course, i am saying all this if they want to accept that they are on the bench. If not, then selling is the only option. I can't see how Lukaku will be starter instead of Rashford and Alexis can only be starter on the right wing( for which Ole doesn't see him as a option which is still strange for me).

 

[Neil_Buchanan]

Given the opportunity then I'd let Sanchez go as he is never going to justify his wages. I'd let him go for free as long as we don't have to supplement his contract. The problem being I don't think any other club would match his wage.

 

[hellohello]

I really wish all club decisions were taken by fan voting just like brexit. Would make football a lot more fun.

 

[unitedsoldier]

Imagine both of them as subs for Liverpool or city or Chelsea or spurs? We'd have McTominay Pereira etc... Who's bench would you prefer them to be on? Opposition's?

 

[kouroux]

Sell them ASAP, they have no serious future at the club.

 

[paulscholes18]

Went for keep both, reason being there are already too many positions that need to be strengthened without needing to sell and replace those two as well,

 

[Negan]

I would sell both. Lukaku is too good to be on the bench and we could get a fee for him.

Sanchez would have a lot of buyers in China I’m sure. Either way he has to go.

Bring in some quality defenders... Ricardo Pereira, Alex Sandro and Koulibaly. You’ll have around 700k in wages to give.

 

[Canagel]

Waste of wages and squad space. Rather replace them with Isco and Werner. Alexis is finished at the top and Lukaku is just not a united striker.

Isco is just a ball hogger. Wouldn't want him near the club. I'd rather promote Greenwood and then get a RW- a D Costa, Cheisa, Pepe etc