According to reports, Manchester United will sign Everton striker Romelu Lukaku after making a dramatic 11th-hour intervention to hijack Chelsea’s plans to sign the Belgian.
The 24-year-old finished second in the race for the Premier League golden boot last season with 25 goals behind Harry Kane. He was also ranked third for direct goal involvement behind the Englishman and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez when assists were also counted, ending the campaign with 31 goals in total, four more than Diego Costa.
Jose Mourinho is in need of a new star striker to lead the line and punish defences following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer. The veteran Swede had previously been tipped to extend his stay at Old Trafford before suffering a major knee injury to rule out any potential deal to keep him in Manchester.
Despite having a hand in 40.74% of the club’s league goals last season, the 35-year-old was also criticised for missing big chances, especially at home, and being too slow to unlock the potential of players such as Paul Pogba, whose attempts to pull the strings from deep seemed to be undermined at times by the lack of pace ahead of him.
Lukaku would give United a shift up the gears in attack. He is an excellent finisher capable of scoring goals with both feet and his head and flummoxing defenders with his dribbling runs, movement off the ball and strength when shoulder-to-shoulder with an opponent. BBC Sport say a deal worth £75 million has already been agreed.
Below are three ways that Mourinho could set his side out with the Belgian up front next season.
The fan favourite
Formation: 4-3-3
Ever since Paul Pogba was first linked with a move back to Old Trafford in 2016, there has been a demand for United to try and play with a midfield three, in order to give the Frenchman the freedom to roam and play his own way.
Advocates for Marcus Rashford as the future of the club’s front-line may also be concerned about his prospects as a first-team player following the arrival of another centre-forward to push him down the pecking order.
However, Lukaku could enable Mourinho to play a 4-3-3 to get the most out of his best midfielder and most celebrated young forward.
The Belgian is a forward who likes to play on the run, rather than with his back to goal, and while Rashford would start out on the left in this shape, his natural tendency to move inside to attack the box would dovetail with the new United striker’s own proclivity to roam out wide, to come at teams from an even more awkward angle.
Pogba, meanwhile, would have his choice of targets to find with defence splitting passes as he pushes forward from deep. Kevin De Bruyne was the only midfielder to play more through balls than the Frenchman in the Premier League last season, who was also ranked second for successful dribbles out of players in his position, behind Mousa Dembele.
More movement up front would only help to give him the options and fluidity he needs to thrive. He already counts Lukaku as a friend outside of football. Their relationship on the pitch, with Rahsford cutting in, could be fruitful.
The lone striker
Formation: 4-2-3-1
At Everton, Lukaku marked himself out as one of the most formidable lone forwards in the Premier League.
For United, he could take his game up to the next level, surrounded by a superior cast of co-stars to feed him chances and follow in the Belgian’s wake.
Ross Barkley may have left Ronald Koeman dissatisfied by his decision-making last season, but the presence of a free-wheeling No. 10 intent on beating opponents with the ball and opening up the final third certainly benefited Lukaku.
In Henrikh Mkhitaryan, United already have a Champions League-ready playmaker on their books to link up with a high calibre addition to the club’s front line, while Juan Mata and Anthony Martial have also shown their ability to confound defenders with their guile and skill when in form.
They are three footballers capable of giving Lukaku as much service as he needs, from killer balls slotted into his path from outside the area to cut-backs across the box and give-and-go exchanges to dance around the opposition. At United, the Belgian will only have to worry about putting the ball in the back of the net.
The front two
Formation: 4-4-2
Last season, Mourinho unveiled his latest master-plan to undermine his most dangerous opponents – a 4-4-2 formation that centred upon man-marking specific threats which effectively turned into a back six without the ball.
It worked a treat against Chelsea as Antonio Conte’s side were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford in April 2017. Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard lead the line in a front two and run the Blues into disarray.
Lukaku is a striker who prefers to save himself for the big moments when he comes alive on the ball in the final third to put chances away. He scored more goals in the last 10 minutes of games in the Premier League last season than any other player, with nine.
The Belgian wouldn’t provide the same sort of industry as Lingard did alongside Rashford. However, he would pose a far greater threat, lingering in advanced positions waiting to hurt teams sent off-balance and exposed by Mourinho’s tactics.
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