Romelu Lukaku

[Andi Istiabudi]

@EASPORTSFIFA Team of the Week! #FIFA18

[Riskur]

OPINION: HOW LUKAKU IS QUIETLY EXCELLING

As his shot sailed through the south-east London air into the top corner of Wayne Hennessy’s goal, Nemanja Matic ran to Selhurst Park’s away end with a look of delirium and wonderment etched across his face. The Serbian joined the ecstatic fans by the advertising hoardings and his United team-mates followed, but Romelu Lukaku was late to the party.

The striker was still climbing to his feet, after dropping to his knees to pound the turf with powerful fists in celebration of a dramatic and galvanising comeback victory over Crystal Palace, who had at one point led by two clear goals after strikes from Andros Townsend and Patrick van Aanholt.

It was an impressive show of passion, commitment and relief from the big man, who had earlier this season been unfairly questioned by pundits for not celebrating his goals with enough gusto. They tried to claim he wasn’t interested and that he might not be happy - but what a load of nonsense it was.

Sure, Romelu is a modest character in comparison to Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba, who create new celebrations for almost every goal, but do not confuse his behaviour for apathy. This is a man who is loving life at United, has ambitions of big success and is quietly excelling in his debut campaign.

There is also the fact Lukaku has hit double figures in the goal charts for six straight seasons and it’s ultimately his job to put the ball in the net, so he may not view each individual finish as a big deal. That is not the romantic view of football, but not every occasion requires vein-bursting passion.

I don’t know how you operate in your own workplace, but I don’t strut around the office, pointing to the back of my shirt, giving it large, after every well-received article. Admittedly, those are much fewer and further between than Lukaku’s goals, so if you like this read, I can’t make any promises.

Anyway, Lukaku registered his 23rd goal in all competitions on Monday night and that is three fewer than Zlatan Ibrahimovic had managed at this same stage of last season, when the Swede was deemed a runaway success in English football. Yet, for some reason, Red Rom isn’t receiving the same credit and is repeatedly the focus of questions from those who clearly don’t watch him enough.

They say he doesn’t move enough or contribute to the team, yet he is consistently impressing with his improving all-round play and currently has six Premier League assists to his name, which include the pinpoint cross from which Jesse Lingard headed the winner against Chelsea this month.

That fixture against his former club brings us to the suggestion he isn't influencing big games, which he muted somewhat with his goal and Man-of-the-Match performance against Antonio Conte’s Blues at Old Trafford recently. Sure, there is still work to do on those biggest stages, but let’s have it right: that's unfair.

Nevertheless, this is the life that a Manchester United no.9 must live as the scrutiny on the club is tenfold compared to Premier League rivals, where contemporaries continually slip under the radar.

Lukaku knows this and fully embraces the spotlight, as he conveyed during an interview last weekend when he spoke to reporters at Old Trafford about his attitude to the attention at United.

“You expect a bit more respect but it's the situation we're in,” Rom said. “I don't listen to it. I just want to improve and show the people what I can do on the pitch. I'm playing for the biggest club in the world. It's something that I wanted, but it's not only that, I just want to win trophies.”

Such a positive perspective from a 24-year-old should be celebrated and, with 24 goals under his belt this season, I wouldn’t bet against the Belgium international topping the 30-mark in the coming weeks.

Whether he celebrates with silent satisfaction, fist-pumping passion or something inbetween, I honestly don’t care. As long as Romelu Lukaku continues his form up front for United, then I’ll be happy.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

http://www.manutd.com/en/Fanzone/New...at-United.aspx

[zudomiriku]

Romelu Lukaku says he is Jose Mourinho's 'sergeant on the pitch' at Manchester United as striker sets sights on 100th Premier League goal

* Jose Mourinho signed Romelu Lukaku for £75m from Everton last summer
* The Belgium forward has scored 23 goals in all competitions for United so far
* Lukaku and his United team-mates are gearing up for Liverpool this weekend

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku believes manager Jose Mourinho views him as his enforcer on the pitch and the Belgian said he is prepared to take on any additional responsibility for the team's cause.

Lukaku has had mixed fortunes at United since his move from Everton in the close season but has found form in the last few weeks and will look to score his 100th Premier League goal in the blockbuster clash against Liverpool on Saturday.

Adding to his tally is Lukaku's primary objective but the 24-year-old believes his work rate has impressed Mourinho enough to entrust him with leadership opportunities.

'I think the manager thinks I'm like his sergeant on the pitch,' Lukaku told Sky Sports. 'And that's strange for a striker because it's usually the midfielders.

'I've always worked hard and I'm grateful but at the end of the day, I'm a striker and I have to score goals. He has been really good but he knows I have that soldier mentality.

'The work rate I am delivering to the team is a lot and he knows he can come to me whenever. I will always put the team first ahead of myself and that's something I told him.'

Lukaku joined United in the close season after scoring 25 league goals for Everton in his final campaign on Merseyside.

He enjoyed a bright start to his Old Trafford career before going off the boil towards the end of last year.

He has shaken off his poor run this year and has scored seven goals in the last 10 games in all competitions.


Romelu Lukaku believes manager Jose Mourinho views him as his enforcer on the pitch. Lukaku and Mourinho are now turning their attention to playing Liverpool on Saturday. If Lukaku scores against Liverpool, it will be the 100th Premier League goal of his career. The Belgium striker says he would rather not score if it guaranteed a United victory

'The desire to win is bigger than ever since I came to this club, because I always wanted to win and to chase trophies. I always put that in front of my personal objectives and he (Mourinho) knows that.'

With runaway leaders Manchester City closing in on their third league title in seven seasons, attention has shifted to the fight for Champions League qualification and United's battle with Liverpool to finish second behind their neighbours.

Second-placed United side have 62 points and lead the Merseyside club by two with nine games remaining.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5478093/Romelu-Lukaku-says-Jose-Mourinhos-sergeant-pitch.html

[Andi Istiabudi]

IS LUKAKU REALLY MOURINHO'S 'SERGEANT'?

Jose Mourinho has reacted to Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku's claim about being the 'sergeant' out on the field.

The Belgian spoke to Sky Sports this week and commented: "I think the manager in his mind thinks that I'm like his sergeant on the pitch, and that's strange for a striker because it's usually the midfielders.

"I've always worked hard and I'm grateful but at the end of the day, I'm a striker and I have to score goals. He has been really good but I think he knows I have that soldier mentality."

It led to the boss being asked what he thought the top scorer meant as he previewed Saturday's game against Liverpool, when Lukaku will be hunting the 100th Premier League of his career.

"I don't know," replied Jose. "I had a laugh with him, that's fine. He's an important guy for me, he's one of the guys that I trust, that I love the attitude, that I love the character.

"Against Crystal Palace, there was nothing that happened after our third goal, but I told him, 'central defender' so, after the third goal, he was playing central defender in the back five with [Chris] Smalling and [Victor] Lindelof, because I couldn't make any more changes.

"So when I say to a striker, go there and do the job for me, he's a sergeant, you know. He's a guy that you can trust, his attitude is phenomenal.

"That's why I've always thought and told you many times that, for me, it's not just about the goals he scores, but what he brings to the team and he brings to the team exactly that - that spirit."

www.manutd.com

[Andi Istiabudi]

LUKAKU EYES THE FA CUP AFTER SEVILLA DEFEAT

Romelu Lukaku has admitted Manchester United were guilty of profligacy against Sevilla and did not deserve to progress to the UEFA Champions League’s last eight, yet the Belgian remains determined and states the Reds must now focus on the Emirates FA Cup.

Following a 0-0 first-leg draw in Spain last month, the Reds needed to win at the Theatre of Dreams but disappointingly slipped to a 2-1 defeat on the night, after visiting substitute Wissam Ben Yedder scored a dramatic second-half brace before Lukaku pulled a goal back, ultimately to no avail.

The Belgium international spoke to BT Sport after the final whistle and began by describing the scenes in the home dressing room, where the players were understandably gutted. “Well, you know, some tears were flowing with some players, some players were hiding,” he said. “We started the game well but we let them get a bit of control in the game. Then we had a few half chances but we didn't score.

“Then they scored the first goal and from that moment on we tried to chase the game. Then they scored the second goal, which was a big blow, but we kept pushing and it was not enough. We should have done much better. With the quality that we have in the team, I think that we should have gone through. But we didn't deserve it because we were not good enough."

Expanding on the missed chances, Lukaku continued: “We should have scored earlier, maybe in the first half with the chances that we created, but the last pass was not good enough. We always get in the right positions and the last pass was not good enough, and that is what killed us today.”

Asked to clarify his earlier remark about hiding, Lukaku quickly stated: “I meant in the dressing room afterwards. There were some people who are disappointed with the result because we expected better from ourselves. We know we have a lot of quality in the team and we didn't show it."

United's attention now turns to Saturday's FA Cup sixth-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion and the only realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign. “It is difficult for us," Rom said. "But we have to bounce back. We have one trophy to chase and that is the FA Cup. We wanted to go far in the Champions League, that is what a club like Manchester United needs to do and we didn't do it so we are disappointed.”

www.manutd.com

[Andi Istiabudi]

OPINION: LUKAKU WILL BE ON A WEMBLEY MISSION
Report by Stuart Mathieson

Romelu Lukaku has got a taste for the Emirates FA Cup but there will be one memory the Manchester United hitman will be desperate to wash from his palate.

The Belgian seems to savour the tournament. It is the one competition in his career where his starting appearances are outweighed by the goals he scores: in 11 career starts (plus three sub appearances) in the cup he has scored 12 goals.

His breakthrough header against Brighton & Hove Albion in the quarter-final at Old Trafford meant he has kept up an impressive run for United in the cup with a goal in every round so far.

The 24-year-old opened his cup account for the Reds back in January in the third round at home to Derby County, sealing the 2-0 victory in the final minute after coming on as a sub. The Belgian did the same at Yeovil Town, bagging his customary goal in added time in the 4-0 fourth-round win.

Huddersfield in the fifth round last month was Lukaku's day. He scored twice at the John Smith’s Stadium in United’s 2-0 win, to line Jose Mourinho’s side up for Saturday’s Old Trafford evening clash with Brighton.

The United manager had singled out Lukaku and Nemanja Matic during his impassioned Friday press conference speech for the media. He highlighted the fact that the two summer 2017 buys had been a consistent thread throughout United’s campaign from day one.

Lukaku paid the boss back when he opened the scoring against the Seagulls and there was a discreet fist pump celebration in Mourinho’s direction after his 37th-minute header had broken Brighton’s well organised resistance.

It took his tally to five for United in the FA Cup and helped steer the Reds to Wembley and a semi-final spot. And that’s where Lukaku will be looking for retribution.

Under the arch on 23 April two years ago was the isolated moment when the striker’s red-hot love affair with the trophy had a disagreement.

Ironically United fans will remember the occasion fondly - but not Romelu. Lukaku had virtually singled-handedly got his former club Everton to the last four shoot-out in London after demolishing his ex-Chelsea colleagues with two goals in a 2-0 Goodison Park win in the quarter-final.

Lukaku was on fire and had deliciously overturned his old club. But he ran into Louis van Gaal’s United at Wembley and one David De Gea. It was not a day to remember on the big stage as chances came and went and Romelu failed to breach United.

He saw Wayne Rooney clear one off the line from him but his worst memento came in the 57th minute when Tim Fosu-Mensah gave away a penalty on Ross Barkley and Lukaku stepped up.

The 12-yard contest with De Gea was won by the Spaniard as United’s goalkeeper saved brilliantly. It set up United for a memorable injury time when Anthony Martial struck the winner in a 2-1 triumph.

It left Lukaku pounding the Wembley turf in bitter frustration. But, despite that setback, he clearly still relishes the cup and his five-goal personal mission to guide United back to the semi final gives the Belgian an opportunity next month to banish that one haunting memory.

Romelu Lukaku looks like a man on a mission and United need him to rid himself of that personal Wembley demon. In the goal form he is in, it is doubtful lightning will strike twice.

The opinions expressed in this article are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United.

www.manutd.com

[Andi Istiabudi]

ROMELU LUKAKU JOINS AN ELITE CLUB

Romelu Lukaku’s opening goal in Manchester United’s 2-0 Emirates FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday was the striker’s 25th across all competitions, in what is becoming an increasingly impressive debut season at Old Trafford.

It means the Belgium international has become just the eighth United player to reach that milestone in their first campaign at the club, which hoists him alongside notable alumni like Denis Law, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dwight Yorke.

Following his switch from Everton last summer, the 24-year-old has wasted little time in endearing himself to the Old Trafford faithful, converting on his club debut in the UEFA Super Cup, Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. And with a potential 10 games still remaining during 2017/18, there’s plenty of time for our no.9 to improve on what has already been an outstanding season.

But how many more strikes does Lukaku require to post the most prolific debut season in United history? To find out, we took a look at the seven other players to reach the hallowed 25-goal mark during their very first term in red…

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (36 goals, 2001/02)
No striker in the club’s history has made an impact as explosive as Ruud van Nistelrooy and, incredibly, his 36-goal debut season came after a year spent on the sidelines, following a cruciate knee-ligament injury. Such a setback has proven terminal to the fledgling careers of plenty of footballers, but not Ruud. United had attempted to sign him in the summer of 2000, but the move fell through due to a failed medical and that traumatic injury, but Sir Alex Ferguson would not be deterred. He kept in touch with the PSV Eindhoven forward and, a year later, van Nistelrooy arrived – and what havoc he would wreak upon the defences of England and Europe. His best season in M16 was his second, where he smuggled, blasted and poached 44 goals – propelling the Reds to the 2002/03 title – and he would reach 100 United strikes in just 131 games, but who can forget that first rampaging campaign? Those 36 goals represent the best achieved by a United player in their first season at the club.

BRIAN MCCLAIR (31 goals, 1987/88)
As sensational as the first sightings of Ruud in a red shirt were, he joined a team that had just won the title for a third consecutive season. A cursory glance at the midfield behind him on any given Saturday would have revealed one, if not all, of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Juan Sebastian Veron. Ammunition was not in short supply. By contrast, when Brian McClair rocked up in the summer of 1987, United had just finished 11th in Division One. No player had reached 25 goals in a season for the club since George Best in 1971/72. But the man soon to be affectionately known as ‘Choccy’ claimed 31 goals after transferring from Celtic, helping United reach second spot in the league. He would go on to play a key role in the trophy-laden seasons that followed during the 1990s, but his first months at the club were vital in helping then-new manager Ferguson demonstrate some early signs of progress.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE (30 goals, 2012/13)
If Choccy was Sir Alex’s first striking superstar, Robin van Persie was his last. Few players in football history are so influential that an entire championship is associated with their name, but the former Arsenal man’s impact on United’s 20th league title was extraordinary. After losing the 2011/12 title to Manchester City on goal difference, Ferguson knew the Reds needed a spark to reignite the team’s confidence and van Persie’s goals instantaneously lit a fire that burned throughout the entire season. The title was clinched by 11 points and, in league terms, the Netherlands striker's 26 goals is the best supplied by a player in their first season at the club. Sadly, the Dutchman was unable to replicate his blistering first 12 months in Manchester, but he left for Fenerbahce in 2015 having scored a very healthy 58 times in 105 appearances.

DWIGHT YORKE (29 goals, 1998/99)
The greatest season in the club’s history is now largely remembered through the prism of a manic 11-day period in which United sealed an unprecedented Treble, with wins over Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich. Dwight Yorke failed to score in each of those three critical matches but, put simply, United would have been nowhere near a clean sweep of the three greatest trophies available to them if not for the Tobagonian’s contribution. His gleeful rapport with striking partner Andy Cole fuelled the Treble tilt throughout the less glamorous autumn and winter months, laying the platform for the unforgettable climax in Barcelona provided by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Yorke’s goals were varied in style – encompassing impudent chips, diving headers and tap-ins – but his intelligence and enthusiasm were a nightmare for defences and a delight for team-mates. His first year at United would remain his best, but he won the title in each of his three full seasons at the club, finishing with 66 goals in 152 games.

DENIS LAW (29 goals, 1962/63)
You don’t earn a moniker like ‘The King’ for trundling around the pitch making up the numbers and, of all the players in this elite club, Denis Law’s appearance is perhaps the least surprising. Matt Busby parted with a world-record fee to snare Law from Torino, and the man from Aberdeen was the first of United’s ‘Holy Trinity’ to win the Ballon d’Or. His unsurprisingly excellent first term culminated in the 1963 FA Cup final against Leicester City. Law opened the scoring with his 29th and final goal of the season, paving the way to the club’s first post-Munich trophy. The following campaign, he blitzed 46 goals, which is still the most prolific season by an individual in United history. He would fail to reach 25 in just one of his first five seasons (falling one short in 1965/66) and his 237 career goals for United place him third in the club’s all-time goalscorers list. Of the top 10, only Dennis Viollet boasts a better scoring ratio than ‘The Lawman’.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (28 goals, 2016/17)
Frustratingly, we’ll never know just how many goals the iconic Zlatan Ibrahimovic might have mustered in his first season at Old Trafford. The Swede was felled by a traumatic knee injury with 10 games of United’s successful 2016/17 campaign still remaining, after bagging 28 goals in 46 matches. Zlatan has been restricted to just seven appearances thus far this campaign – adding one further goal to his United tally – but his input during a season in which United claimed the League Cup and the Europa League ensures his career at Old Trafford will always be remembered fondly as he proved, as predicted, that he would continue to show his class in England.

JACK PICKEN (25 goals, 1905/06)
The least known member of the first-season 25 club that Lukaku joined with his goal against Brighton was also its first member. Scotsman Jack Picken was signed from Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 1905, and notched 20 league goals and five FA Cup strikes during his maiden season at United. He would eventually lose his place in the first team due to the emergence of Sandy Turnbull, who would trump Picken’s 25 goals with a then-club record 27 in 1907/08. Incidentally, Turnbull joined midway through the preceding campaign, which means, like Eric Cantona after him (25 goals in 1993/94), he earns honorary membership for reaching our milestone during the first full season he spent at the club.

Can Lukaku overhaul van Nistelrooy, McClair, Van Persie and the rest? With 10 goals since the turn of the year, we’re not willing to bet against United’s in-form no.9…

www.manutd.com

[Riskur]

HOW MANY MORE GOALS CAN LUKAKU SCORE?

Romelu Lukaku has enjoyed a prolific campaign so far in his first season as a Manchester United player, but he still has time to make it even more memorable by ensuring his goalscoring exploits are mentioned in the same breath as the club’s all-time greats.

The striker has struck 25 times in 44 appearances across all competitions this term – an excellent return from the summer signing, who is only the eighth United player to have reached that quarter-century milestone in their first campaign at the club.

He will be looking to end the season strongly ahead of this summer’s World Cup with Belgium, for whom he is their all-time leading scorer at the relatively young age of 24.

Lukaku is already on course to surpass the total achieved last season by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was the Reds’ top scorer for 2016/17 with 28 goals in all competitions. As we learned through last Thursday's announcement, this proved to be the Swede's only full campaign at Old Trafford. If he eclipses Zlatan’s tally, Romelu would be the highest scorer for United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Should he net two more than Ibrahimovic, then Lukaku would be the first player to reach 30 goals since Robin van Persie achieved that round haul in the 2012/13 title-winning campaign.

The next landmark figure above that would be 35 - a tally which hasn’t been hit by any United player in the last 10 years since Cristiano Ronaldo scored 42 times in 2007/08, a successful season in which the Reds won the Premier League and the Champions League.

The closest the club's all-time top goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, came to that total was when he netted 34 in both 2009/10 and 2011/12.

Meanwhile, Lukaku could also become part of only a small set of United players who have managed to bag 30 goals in a single season in all competitions in the last 50 years, since George Best scored 32 in the 1967/68 campaign.

Ronaldo, Rooney and van Persie are all in that elite group but only two other Reds stars from the last half-century have done it - Denis Law with 30 strikes precisely in the season after Best, 1968/69, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who notched 36, 44 and 30 goals respectively in three consecutive campaigns between 2001 and 2004.

As we approach the business end of the campaign, United have eight more Premier League games to negotiate and an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur to come on 21 April, with the potential of a return to Wembley in the final of the competition to sign off the season on 19 May.

ManUtd.com assess how many more goals Lukaku could score in the Reds’ remaining league games by looking back at how he fared against the same opponents earlier this season...

31 MARCH: SWANSEA CITY (H)
Lukaku continued his excellent start to life at United by scoring for a third successive game at the start of the season, when the Reds travelled to South Wales for the reverse fixture back in August. The Belgian netted the clinching second strike, which sparked a blistering three-goal burst in the space of four minutes late on in a 4-0 win at the Liberty Stadium. It was the fourth time he has netted against the Swans overall in 13 matches in his career.

7 APRIL: MANCHESTER CITY (A)
After a rare home game without a goal when City visited Old Trafford back in December, Romelu will be eager to grab himself a first Manchester derby goal when the Reds make the short trip across town for the second showdown of the season against Pep Guardiola’s side. He’s fared well against City in the past, scoring five goals in 13 previous outings against them – including finding the net in both league meetings last season for Everton.

15 APRIL: WEST BROMWICH ALBION (H)
Lukaku knows the Baggies well, having scored 17 times for them during 2012/13. That impressive season-long loan spell culminated in a hat-trick at United's expense, in Sir Alex Ferguson's final match, that frantic 5-5 draw. He been particularly prolific against the Midlands club too - his header which opened the scoring in United’s 2-1 win at The Hawthorns back in December was his fifth goal in eight meetings with them, while he has also registered three assists in those matches too.

18 APRIL: BOURNEMOUTH (A)
It’s fair to say Romelu likes a goal against the Cherries, with seven to his name in just six career appearances against the south-coast club. Remarkably, four of those came in a single game for his former club Everton last season, when he demonstrated a fantastic array of finishing in a thumping 6-3 win for the Toffees at Goodison Park. He also scored the winner when the Reds welcomed Eddie Howe’s side to the Theatre of Dreams earlier this season - his bullet header was voted our Goal of the Month for December.

29 APRIL: v ARSENAL (H)
Lukaku has often found the going tough against the Gunners but he has still managed to score three times, and record three assists, in 13 career clashes. Although he wasn’t directly involved in any of the goals, the forward was part of an impressive team performance when the Reds saw off Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in this season’s reverse fixture. His last goal against Arsene Wenger’s side was also his last-ever goal for Everton, in a 3-1 Premier League defeat on the final day of last season.

5 MAY (TBC): v BRIGHTON (A)
As they were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history this term, Lukaku has only come up against the Seagulls on two previous occasions – both of which were this season’s meetings at Old Trafford. The striker didn’t manage to find the net in the league clash in November but was on target in the FA Cup quarter-final tie in our last outing before the international break, heading home the opener in the Reds’ 2-0 win.

13 MAY: WATFORD (H)
Despite not getting on the scoresheet himself, Lukaku still ensured he made a positive contribution in United’s 4-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road back in November, setting up Anthony Martial to score the Reds’ third goal. His overall record against the Hornets is two goals and two assists in five previous career appearances, so he will undoubtedly fancy his chances of improving on that tally in what is scheduled to be our final league game of the season.

TBC: WEST HAM UNITED (A)
If Lukaku was to handpick one opponent he would most like to play against, it would probably be West Ham. The Reds’ no.9 has netted more goals against the Hammers than against any other team in his career, scoring 11 in 13 games in all competitions – including nine in 11 Premier League outings. He has also registered four assists. Lukaku will also have fond memories of facing the Hammers on the opening day of this season, when he scored twice on his league debut for the Reds in a resounding 4-0 win at Old Trafford.

CONCLUSION
Lukaku has been in sensational form so far in 2018, scoring 10 goals in this calendar year already, including four in his last five games. If he is able to maintain this kind of run in the remaining weeks of the season, there is every chance he can end the campaign with a tally which surpasses some of the biggest names in United’s illustrious history.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Fe...er-United.aspx

[Andi Istiabudi]

THE BATTLE TO BE UNITED'S SECOND TOP SCORER

Romelu Lukaku has rightly received plenty of acclaim for his goalscoring exploits in his maiden season with Manchester United.

Heading into the run-in after the final international break of the season, the burly Belgian has defied a dwindling number of critics to plunder 25 goals in all competitions.

And, as we noted earlier this week, the striker has nine more games (and hopefully 10, with an Emirates FA Cup final) in which to surpass Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tally of 28 goals from last term.

Lukaku will finish as our top scorer in 2017/18 but, just below him, there’s a three-way contest developing between three Reds attackers who have each made significant contributions of their own to the Reds’ goal haul.

Let's take a look at the triumvirate of contenders...

Jesse Lingard: 13 goals in 23(16) appearances
It’s comfortably the most prolific season to date for the livewire forward, who got off the mark in September’s Carabao Cup win over Burton Albion and enjoyed a purple patch in front of goal around the turn of the year. Jesse, who also bagged his first England goal during the break, disclosed after his super strike at Everton on New Year’s Day that he has a goals target for this season – but he's keeping it a secret!

Marcus Rashford: 12 goals in 22(20) appearances
Breathing down Lingard’s neck is his good pal and fellow England international, who is also enjoying his most productive goals campaign after surpassing his previous best mark of 11 with that thrilling early double in the recent win over Liverpool. The 20-year-old has the best spread of goals among the trio, having found the net in every competition in 2017/18, and has regularly been praised by Jose Mourinho over the last few months for his versatility and attitude.

Anthony Martial: 11 goals in (24)16 appearances
The Frenchman is coming up on the rails behind his colleagues and, though he hasn’t found the net since scoring the winner at Burnley in January, the 22-year-old remains our second-highest scorer in the Premier League, with nine goals, including four off the substitutes’ bench. He’s already sailed past his 2016/17 return of eight strikes in all competitions; little wonder, then, that he’s picked up three Player of the Month awards this season – no other Red has won more than one.

All three players hope to start on Saturday when United return to Premier League action against Swansea City at Old Trafford.

www.manutd.com

[Andi Istiabudi]

CENTURION ROMELU EYES TROPHIES

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku insists he wants to add silverware to go alongside his impressive goalscoring record after reaching a personal milestone in the win over Swansea City.

The Belgian netted his 100th Premier League goal in the 2-0 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday, but says he is focusing on the team’s aims rather than his own personal targets.

“It’s not bad,” Lukaku told MUTV. “But I want to add trophies to the personal stuff. There’s a lot of hard work to be done and I’m enjoying the challenge.

“I don’t like to talk about personal stuff. I’m a team player so I put the team ahead of myself. I’m a striker and I know there are a lot more goals in me, and hopefully I can add a trophy as well to the goals.”

The 24-year-old was pleased with the team’s performance against Swansea, especially with the energetic style in the first half.

“We’ve started our games really well, but today was really dominant from the beginning and that’s how we should play all of the time, with a lot of high-tempo passing and high pressing," he added. "Today, we showed that we could play with a different playing style and that's something we should do every game.”

Lukaku was also delighted with the service he received from United’s attacking players, and, in particular, Alexis Sanchez, who scored his second United goal.

“It’s something that we worked on the last three days and, when we came on the pitch, everybody knew what we had to do," explained Lukaku. "I’m really happy for Alexis. The hard work pays off, as long as you keep working hard, one day it will pay off. Now it’s up to him to keep going like he’s done today."

www.manutd.com