Romelu Lukaku explains why he and Pogba struggled at United | OneFootball

Manchester United have been home to some ferocious strikers in the past, but the position has been a weak spot in the squad in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. The legendary Scottish manager famously signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal ahead of his final season, with the Dutchman subsequently powering the Red Devils to the league title.

Sir Alex had always built his teams around goal-hungry No. 9s, but the Red Devils have mostly struggled to find a capable goalscorer in the past decade. The English giants perhaps missed a trick by failing to sign Harry Kane in the summer of 2023, before his move to Bayern Munich.

United, instead, opted for Rasmus Hojlund, who struggled to impress at Old Trafford and joined Napoli on loan last summer before the move was made permanent earlier this month. INEOS brought in Benjamin Sesko as the Dane’s replacement last year, and the young Slovenian has enjoyed a decent debut campaign, scoring 12 goals.

Benjamin Sesko Stats by Coach At United

Source: Transfermarkt.

The last No. 9 who truly captured the imagination of the Old Trafford faithful was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who arrived in the summer of 2016. The iconic Swede’s replacement at the Theatre of Dreams, Romelu Lukaku, has now outlined why he failed to get going with United.

Lukaku laments joining United too early in his career

Speaking to Canal+, Lukaku insisted that both he and Paul Pogba joined United too early in their careers. He said: “It was good, but I think we were too young at the time. We are both alphas.”

“And that’s something, one day I’d like to sit down with him and tell him, ‘If we had been together with the mentality we have today, it would have been dangerous.’ Very dangerous. Really, really dangerous. It hurts; it hurts a lot.”

United spent £89 million to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer of 2016, before investing £75 million in Lukaku the following year. The Belgian striker spent two seasons at Old Trafford, scoring 42 goals and registering 12 assists in 96 games, before leaving for Inter Milan in 2019.

Pogba’s stay at Old Trafford did not live up to expectations either. United had hoped that their former academy graduate would become the cornerstone of their new project, but the Frenchman only won the Europa League and the EFL Cup during his time at the club. Pogba eventually left in 2022 as a free agent to return to Turin.

Lack of maturity hurt Lukaku at United

Lukaku went on to add that Manchester City’s dominance during that period also affected their integration into the squad. He said: “Manchester City were much stronger; they got 100 points in the Premier League. But if you look at how we started that season — 12 points from 12, and playing really well. 4–0 here, 4–0 there, 4–0 again, bang, bang, bang.”

“And then… with hindsight — I don’t want to start anything — but with hindsight, if we had been… if I had the shoulders, the maturity, and we walked into that dressing room at 27 or 28 years old, it would have been completely different.”

Lukaku finished his first campaign at Old Trafford with 27 goals and nine assists in 51 appearances. While he endured a dip in form in his second season, fans will remember him for spearheading that spectacular comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League.

Final Thoughts

While United are set to part ways with Casemiro this summer, they have an experienced dressing room with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Tom Heaton in the midst. The presence of Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans, who know what it means to represent the Red Devils, will also help maintain the standards in the dressing room that were perhaps lacking in the past.

Meanwhile, Sesko registered 10 goals in his last 15 games for United, suggesting that he is coming to terms with the rigours of English football. With INEOS expected to further invest in the squad this summer, fans will hope that the Slovenian can come into his own next season and become the No. 9 they have been craving.

Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images

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