He played like a 40 y.o. Vieri. Not much going on from him.
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 51
- Goals
- 27
- Assists
- 10
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
For someone who is 24 years old and quick, I'm not pleased, Lukaku is so lazy to make movement. Even 35 Zlatan with no pace last season isn't as lazy as Lukaku.
Even if it's in the box, he doesn't even move too much, just waiting for the cross to come straight to him.
Even if it's in the box, he doesn't even move too much, just waiting for the cross to come straight to him.
Don't think he needs to improve that much anyway. He will always score goals.
Once we get our attack sorted out, he will continue to do so.
12 goals and 3 assists in 20 apps is still very good.
Very good is pushing it. It's pretty much acceptable, but the thing with Lukaku is goals is pretty much all he offers. If he isn't scoring at a really good rate then he isn't good enough to play for a top team (or at least be an automatic when fit choice). If he was an all around forward who did a lot of good work outside the box, then it's not all about the goals for them. Lukaku is pretty much just about the goals though, and the past 2 months haven't been good enough at all from him. People can complain about service, but as a striker at a big team you have to be able to create stuff on your own at times and you should be busting a gut to get in the best positions to score a goal and get in goalscoring chances. Lukaku hasn't really shown to have that knack of being in the right position to have chances consistently even if you aren't really in the game.
He's not that bad or anything, it's just a very underwhelming striker to have especially considering the price we paid, his age meaning he'll be our main striker for the next 5 years for sure and how that will be a limiting player for our play style in the foreseeable future. He'll get goals (though that's got to improve for him to be seen as a good signing compared to what he's done so far), but the overall play leaves a lot to be desired.
Does anyone else think having Zlatan in the same side will hinder him? Even today after Zlatan came on he was isolated out wide and resorted to tracking back and appearing at LB 
Weird timing to complain about him offering nothing but goals. Today’s performance had everything but a goal.
At the moment, apart from being better suited to head in crosses, what does he bring that Martial wouldn't if he were played at striker? Hope we try it in a less important game, with Rashford either on the left wing or alongside to see how it works out.
Martial's movement is poor for a striker. Lukaku always finds a yard of space in the box, and has a very sharp mind when defenders make mistakes. Lukaku is also a greater physical presence which is massively important for a lone striker.
Yeah wasn't a huge deal today, thought he did well for the most part. Just in general. He doesn't offer too much more then any average premier league striker aside from what we expect his goalscoring rate should be, so when he goes through a dry run goalscoring wise then he'll be hammered with criticism since that's the one thing that makes him a very good player and not some average player. And for that, it just gives me the feeling of being underwhelmed about him, considering we paid 75m for him and he'll be the main guy up top for the next 5 years and I can't see him changing all too much. Maybe get more consistent and a bit better with his movement, but his all around ability on the ball, probably more or less the same.
One thing that he definitely can improve loads on and he really should, is his aerial ability though. He's massive physically, so really should learn to be like Fellaini in the air, either with learning how to control it on his chest under pressure like Fellaini does, or winning headers, improving his leap, etc.. Been pretty disappointed and surprised by that part of his game.
Looked far more impressive last season.
His movement's improved this season. I haven't seen much of Lukaku's movement lately either. Isn't that what many have been complaining about? He doesn't really use his physicality so much that I'd consider it a major advantage (hence his pretty poor hold up play). Martial isn't weak by any means either.
Also, a lot of that has to do with experience in the position, which Martial obviously has less of since we barely play him there these days. I feel like he and Rashford will very likely become more favourable options at striker than Lukaku in the not too distant future.
Needs more support than what Mata or Mkhi can provide. Rashford having a quiet night didn't help matters...
He isn’t getting any space to run into at Man Utd, which is where he excels. Playing against a wall of defenders he offers less than nothing, he just isn’t creative or intelligent enough. Doesn’t do combinations, doesn’t make clever runs, doesn’t help the others.
Big, big shame - not good enough for the highest level and never will be. When Hazard collects the ball with a player behind him, he touch is always magic - when Lukaku collects the ball he looks like Titanic hitting the iceberg.
So disappointed, I really hopes he was going to be the player for us. He has to play of course, that’s just how it is when you have spent 80M on a player.
Big, big shame - not good enough for the highest level and never will be. When Hazard collects the ball with a player behind him, he touch is always magic - when Lukaku collects the ball he looks like Titanic hitting the iceberg.
So disappointed, I really hopes he was going to be the player for us. He has to play of course, that’s just how it is when you have spent 80M on a player.
The moment someone isnt banging them in, they go back to peddling some narrative. Martial a better striker than Lukaku...he hasnt even managed a 20 goal season in all comps while Lukaku has scored more than 20 in the league alone for 3 seasons in a row. Goals don't happen out of thin air, they come from intelligent movement and physical presence.
Lukaku is better than Martial at pretty much everything except dribbling, even then Lukaku's dribbling is top notch as we have seen from his play on the right wing. Martial can't even put 2 good performances together in a row yet he'd be good enough to lead the line.
I felt so sorry for him today. Constantly calling for the early ball and no-one pays any attention. It was the same story with Zlatan last year, but at least he is a player very happy to drop off and go in search of the ball when it is not arriving. I'm not convinced he is necessarily going to good enough for us to have continued success over the next five or six years, but it's impossible to see his potential when he don't give him quick, direct balls against an isolated defender or with room to spin and run.
The general service he gets is genuinely so tragic, we need some more pace and power out wide. Should get rotated with Zlatan.
Nah, I've always had my reservations, this isn't a kneejerk. You can't really compare their output when Lukaku has played at striker while Martial's been on the wing. His kind of movement is better suited to a team like Everton since they don't have to deal with teams that sit back anywhere near as often.
No, he isn't. His linkup play is definitely worse (way less capable of quick exchanges), his touch is nowhere near the same quality, he's far more reliant on service and if he's not scoring, he isn't getting up to much. Think you'll find it difficult to find many others that would use "top notch" to describe Lukaku's dribbling. I still think he's a good striker, but we should at least give our other options a chance.
Exactly. We lack players who can find a player making a run. Except probably for Pogba and somewhat Matic none others can find the target. Forward players have given up making runs as they know they wouldn't get any service.
I don't want him to be better technically. He may improve a bit in this but he's not going to be a world class playmaker number 9.
What I want from him is to use his strengths to its fullest. He needs to use his physicality to always keep the ball under his feet, bully defenders, win most of the aerial duels and not get knocked out easily of the ball. These are the sort of things he can improve considering his current attributes, and it's his way to become an elite player.
I don't want him to play like Zlatan and try to do tricks and flicks with the ball. I want him to be the one we all know from. The faster Lukaku realizes this and stop trying to impress us with his technical aspects, the better.
What I want from him is to use his strengths to its fullest. He needs to use his physicality to always keep the ball under his feet, bully defenders, win most of the aerial duels and not get knocked out easily of the ball. These are the sort of things he can improve considering his current attributes, and it's his way to become an elite player.
I don't want him to play like Zlatan and try to do tricks and flicks with the ball. I want him to be the one we all know from. The faster Lukaku realizes this and stop trying to impress us with his technical aspects, the better.
It looked a lot better when it was 11 in 10 or so though! That was excellent, now it's crept down to what you'd expect.
Does anyone else think having Zlatan in the same side will hinder him? Even today after Zlatan came on he was isolated out wide and resorted to tracking back and appearing at LB
We can't judge it completely until Ibra is 100% and we start with both.
But no one can say it looks promising yet!
A striker of this mould relies on service. A pass into feet, a cross into a dangerous area. He's living off scraps at the moment.
Martial and Rashford are certainly much improved on last season, but they need to learn how to play that wide forward role better. Delivery and quick interchanges are a must.
Martial and Rashford are certainly much improved on last season, but they need to learn how to play that wide forward role better. Delivery and quick interchanges are a must.
Oh here we go with the massive overrating of Martial. The man has a shocking performance every few games yet apparently is an undiscovered world class striker. Does Martial have any weaknesses or is he the world's best player already?
People comment on him playing badly due to a lack of service, but what kind of service does he offer the players supplying him the ball? A very lethargic and static one, it seems he can be very easy to defend against at times.
Had that from Pogba in the first few minutes of the game and messed it up.
The excuses are running thin. It is true we lack good wingers and he's not getting as many crosses as he should, but it doesn't mean he should be as useless as this either. It is just poor all-round game, as I feared when we bought him.
Ah, looks you couldn't think of a response to what I actually said.
He is part of the problem in terms of our chances starting to dry up.
Frustrating performance. And like some others have said, he doesn't seem to have much variety in how he strikes the ball either.
Frustrating performance. And like some others have said, he doesn't seem to have much variety in how he strikes the ball either.
When fully fit, he is unplayable.
When fully fit, he reduces Kane to looking like a goal hanging little poacher.
But Romelu is not fully fit.
He needs a rest. Now.
When fully fit, he reduces Kane to looking like a goal hanging little poacher.
But Romelu is not fully fit.
He needs a rest. Now.
Lukaku is a top striker. If you want to play Martial instead of him then he has to be better than Lukaku. The next level above Lukaku is the best strikers in the world. So Martial is one of the best strikers in the world? Or you want Martial to be our starting striker and develop to become the best striker in the world in 3-4 years? Either option is an option only someone ignoring reality will consider.
I genuinely feel sorry for you if you believe that. All the great wingers you must have seen at United over the years, and at other teams too. Come on, I've seen better dribblers at sunday league level.
Frankly the more I watch this guy the more I think Chelsea dodged a bullet.
When has he ever done this in his career?
FA Cup game against Chelsea last season.
Did things that 'just a forward' like Kane couldn't ever do.
I think Rom will have a better at United than either or Rashford or Martial.
Of course, but he was never going to keep up at that rate.
Same happened to Ibra last season.
Not really just a case of failing to keep up an impressive goalscoring rate, he only has 1 goal in his last 10 games. That's pretty unacceptable for a striker at a club who wish to win major trophies.,
He's playing for United now. Expectations are a lot higher. Everything he does will be scrutinised.
He seems to have a strong mentality, though, and is eager to improve.
Once we have better cohesion and creativity in the final third, then I'm hoping we'll see Rom more involved.
I agree, but it also reflects on how poor we've looked going forward in the last 10 games too.
My original point was regarding his form and currently his form isn't something I'd expect from someone a tier below the best in the world. At the moment (literally the phrase I started my first post with), playing Martial in place of Lukaku wouldn't result in us missing out on much, so I feel we should try it. Funny of you to say the bolded after describing Lukaku's dribbling as top notch.
I agree with the first bit, we have seen many a good player fail to meet the level of expectation of playing for us.
On one level I feel sorry for him, he is playing often on his own with little support. Trying hard but struggling.
But he is never going to have the same attacking freedom as he had at Everton. He is constantly having to play against deep lying defences who are never going to give away the same space to run in behind that the thrives on.
Is he the right creative forward we need to be able to play and create with his back to goal?
When are we likely to see this cohesion and creativity we need? A lone centre forward with a heavy touch doesn''t help with either.
- Status