We will never win the league with Lukaku up front

That’s true, but I think it takes more than the biggest numbers. He’s just not a good footballer, and for all the talk of his numbers, he’d be a lot more prolific if he was.

He’s hard to properly evaluate I think. Like, I can read, and know what his figures say. But I can also see, and he is nowhere near a top level forward. I’m inclined to say that the evidence that he is shit when watching him play, on this occasion, overwhelms any argument made by his numbers. That’s how far away from a top player he looks.

Excluding the obvious greats and even the tier below them, I’d argue that Arnautovic, Dzeko, Sturridge, Lacazette, Benzema, Immobile, Mandzukic, Vardy, Mariano Diaz, Rodrigo, and Hernandez are better players than Lukaku. I could go on and list a tier below even that lot, because that’s how much I don’t rate him, but I don’t want to start a long side-discussion. That said, I believe all of those players I mentioned would at least match his 16 league goals for us if they played every minute like he did last year, and also make us look a much better side full-stop, improving us by making their teammates look better too.

If presented with enough balls in the box, a lot of strikers would get a lot of goals for Belgium. And tbh, I don’t really care what he does for them anyway. Lukaku has played in England for about 8 years and I’ve seen enough to form my opinion that he’s an average player.

If we listed all of his attributes and weaknesses on a piece of paper, it would not be immediately clear whether you are referring to Smalling or Lukaku, I strongly believe that. I’d be a happier United fan once he’s gone.

Who buys him though? Our deal to buy him was apparently 90m and that's because of the usual PL tax involved. There's not a club in the world that would take him off of our hands for even the base level 75m we paid
 
He did - but it was his first season in a new league tbh.

Regardless of the possibly reasons fact is you wouldn't have said last season we should have bought Lacazette so you shouldn't be saying it now because of the first couple of months of the season. There are countless CF's I'd rather we have than Lukaku but Lacazette certainly doesn't come close to them
 
Who buys him though? Our deal to buy him was apparently 90m and that's because of the usual PL tax involved. There's not a club in the world that would take him off of our hands for even the base level 75m we paid

I think his goal record, age, and profile of his national team means he can easily attract bids of £60m in today’s market. For the tier of clubs he belongs at, he would be a massive coup, and clubs in that tier are getting more money these days. But for them; they would be bringing in Belgium’s first choice centre forward at a prime age, who would have an impressive CV.

If they got bought by wealth, I could see a packed stadium welcoming him as Newcastle’s new iconic #9. Or a return to Everton.
 
It’s almost as if Mourinho has the same obsession constantly playing Lukaku regardless of form as Van Gaal did with Rooney? Like he has to justify the outlay hoping he will come good again - it’s counterproductive and I don’t understand the logic?

He will come good again, he had a lengthy barren spell last year around this time and eventually found his shooting boots and, when on form, he's a goal machine. It makes me wonder what happens in his head that he CBA in October and November.
 
Who buys him though? Our deal to buy him was apparently 90m and that's because of the usual PL tax involved. There's not a club in the world that would take him off of our hands for even the base level 75m we paid

He doesn't have to be sold necessarily. He will never get a bigger club to go to but he could be a valuable squad player here. I don't think we have to buy to upgrade on him either - my opinion all along is Martial with the game time Lukaku gets up front will easily leave him behind.
 
Lukaku comfortably out performed Lacazette in every conceivable way last season
Lukaku had 2 goals and 3 assists more in 650 more minutes on the pitch compared to lacazette. Lacazette also scored more league goals than Lukaku after September. "Comfortably outperformed" though, right?

Lacazette had a slow start to his arsenal career no doubt, while many people said Lukaku had a good year with United, but even still, on the whole their seasons were pretty similar overall. Lacazette is just a better player and he'll keep showing that long term like hes been showing this season.
 
He doesn't have to be sold necessarily. He will never get a bigger club to go to but he could be a valuable squad player here. I don't think we have to buy to upgrade on him either - my opinion all along is Martial with the game time Lukaku gets up front will easily leave him behind.

how many clubs have a 75-90m striker on the bench?
 
Lukaku had 2 goals and 3 assists more in 650 more minutes on the pitch compared to lacazette. Lacazette also scored more league goals than Lukaku after September. "Comfortably outperformed" though, right?

Lacazette had a slow start to his arsenal career no doubt, while many people said Lukaku had a good year with United, but even still, on the whole their seasons were pretty similar overall. Lacazette is just a better player and he'll keep showing that long term like hes been showing this season.

Lacazette is just a better player why? Because you say so? :lol:

Oh and Lukaku didn't have a good year at all, he went like 3 months without scoring a goal and still scored 10 more than Lacazette
 
Tell that to Woody who wouldn't sign a CB

If Lukaku is made a squad player the money men will want him sold

Agree.

I think that what would happen eventually, not the next summer but in 2 years max. We'll sell him for 50m and splash the cash on another striker. We can't have a squad option that's worth 75m. Sell and replace.
 
Tell that to Woody who wouldn't sign a CB

If Lukaku is made a squad player the money men will want him sold

We overspent on Lukaku. But it's gone. He can be on the bench for the rest of this season and if anyone offers £50m I wouldn't say no. I doubt anyone of note will come in for him though because all the top teams besides Chelsea have better strikers. So they'd just be buying a player for the bench too.
 
Problem is because he's a big guy, people just assume he should be a target man but he's bang average at holding up the ball, average aerially and below average technically. Where he's best is probably as an atypical 'fox in the box', in and around the six yard box where his size/strength can make a yard or hold a defender for an extra second. That's what he did at Everton, they put a load of crosses in, played direct football and he reaped the rewards by playing as more of a poacher despite not being as 'natural' a finisher as someone like Ruud, Owen, Kane or similar.

If we had full backs with a focus on crossing the ball and we were loading the box with every attack, he'd be much more effective but 1) I'm not sure that style is suited for winning the PL and definitely not the CL and 2) you could probably still find 10+ strikers who are better at it than him anyway. We bought him because he was available and we were desperate to find a striker after Ibra's injury and have paid the price for trying to use him in a system that doesn't really suit him.
 
Lacazette is just a better player why? Because you say so? :lol:

Oh and Lukaku didn't have a good year at all, he went like 3 months without scoring a goal and still scored 10 more than Lacazette

They are very different type of players.
If you park the bus, play long balls, counter etc: Lukaku would be the best player for your team.
If you play a passing, technical, possession based football: Lacazette would be the best player for your team.
 
Lacazette is just a better player why? Because you say so? :lol:

Oh and Lukaku didn't have a good year at all, he went like 3 months without scoring a goal and still scored 10 more than Lacazette
As an overall footballer, he is. Overall ability, technique, and then combining that with his goalscoring history in France with Lyon. We'll see how they do but I think lacazette is just much more suited to a big club than Lukaku is, being the more naturally gifted footballer and fewer glaring weaknesses.
 
I also get the feeling he wouldn't take it well if he was dropped. He thinks quite highly of himself so getting him out of the team is going to be a lot harder. He wasn't happy not playing at Chelsea as a youngster so imagine now. There would be some drama.
 
He will come good again, he had a lengthy barren spell last year around this time and eventually found his shooting boots and, when on form, he's a goal machine. It makes me wonder what happens in his head that he CBA in October and November.

I hope you’re right as we need him to have his scoring boots on instead of lead deep sea diving boots! :(
 
I mean seriously, he looked knackered after 7 minutes! Is his shit form purely down to fitness? He needs dropping asap, offers absolutely nothing upfront. I'd genuinly have Fellaini upfront instead of this useless oaf.
 
I also get the feeling he wouldn't take it well if he was dropped. He thinks quite highly of himself so getting him out of the team is going to be a lot harder. He wasn't happy not playing at Chelsea as a youngster so imagine now. There would be some drama.

Who cares what he thinks? He is useless and it's not like that drama would make us lose anything.
 
We wouldn’t win the league with Messi upfront, to be fair.

Lukaku is playing poorly, absolutely, but he’s the least of our issues.
 
He's just useless. Please just get rid. I can't tell whether if it's just playing CF for this current United side especially as he's so good for Belgium or whether he's just a bit shit.
 
He's fecking useless. But so is the manager, and all of our coaches, and half our team, so can't really put all the blame on Lukaku.
 
It's not even Lukaku's fault. The team is poorly coached, we're dropping our whole team inside our own half, it's pathetic. What can our attackers do in such a system?
 
He's just useless. Please just get rid. I can't tell whether if it's just playing CF for this current United side especially as he's so good for Belgium or whether he's just a bit shit.
He's shit for Man Utd and that's what matters the most. What he does for Belgium has no relevance
 
I can’t say this enough - he desperately needs a rest. I don’t care if he “should” be as fit as a fiddle, he’s clearly exhausted.
 
We wouldn’t win the league with Messi upfront, to be fair.

Lukaku is playing poorly, absolutely, but he’s the least of our issues.
He definitely isnt the least of them. Hes a massive issue. Not the main one, being the manager and system used making everyone crap, but Lukaku himself has never been good enough for what we want him to be.
 
Hard to give out about him when he haven't got him any chances. Especially against juventus centre backs. You'd have to wonder how much football the guys in the match day thread have watched if they expect lukaku to be creating his own chances against bonucci and co
 
I’m actually starting to hate him.

Disgraceful effort every time he pulls on the shirt. Bin him off in the summer and take the L.
 
He's shit for Man Utd and that's what matters the most. What he does for Belgium has no relevance
Hes not even that amazing for Belgium anyway. Not that impressive racking up goals against 2nd rate opposition and teams filled with semi professional players. When it comes to the big games for them, he almost never performs. No difference to now.
 
He definitely isnt the least of them. Hes a massive issue. Not the main one, being the manager and system used making everyone crap, but Lukaku himself has never been good enough for what we want him to be.

He’s score plenty in a good team. Like he does for Belgium.

Is he one of the very best? No. But if the rest of the team had any clue how to play football he’d be scoring braces just about every week.
 
Hard to give out about him when he haven't got him any chances. Especially against juventus centre backs. You'd have to wonder how much football the guys in the match day thread have watched if they expect lukaku to be creating his own chances against bonucci and co
I'd expect him to be able to control a ball at least, given we spent £75m on him to be our main striker for the next 5 years. Unfortunately a recurrent theme though. Hes just trash.
 
Sometimes it's just the little things: at one point he went up for a header from a clearance - actually won it - and played it beautifully off to the right channel.

Which is great, but Rashford and Young had just defended the move leading to the clearance so he put the ball literally further from a teammate than anywhere else on the pitch.

He HAS to have better awareness than that. It's baffling.
 
He's a fraud, makes it appear like he's working hard by chasing lost causes when pressing. Like making a long run to press their keeper is nice but it doesn't help anyone whereas running to create openings is beneath him it seems
 
Cole, Yorke, rvn, Rooney, Saha, tevez, rvp....Lukaku :(
 
He’s score plenty in a good team. Like he does for Belgium.

Is he one of the very best? No. But if the rest of the team had any clue how to play football he’d be scoring braces just about every week.
And would still be a weakness against any tight game or against big teams, like he is for Belgium. I do agree hed be much better in a better system, and has a spot with us in the future. But it shouldnt be as our main striker. If Sir Alex had him, he would rotate him in and out like he did with Berba, never in a million years have him as our main striker.
 
I think the odds of beating Juve tonight would have been better if the security guards had let the pitch invader stay on and dragged Lukaku off instead.
 
We may aswell be a man down, has he even had a touch of the ball ?