Manchester United: Romelu Lukaku injury update
By Wyatt Miner
In a hotly contested match between Manchester United and Arsenal, Romelu Lukaku picked up an injury early in the match.
With Lukaku on the pitch, there is no doubt that Manchester United can go to war with any team. Furthermore, the Belgian striker had an impact early in the match, as he set up the first goal by Pogba. While he came to United as a striker, he can also play backseat roles as his team scores.
Lukaku limped off of the pitch early on in the Arsenal match. Additionally, rumors say that the striker sustained an ankle and foot injury. However, Manchester United has yet to release an official statement regarding the injury.
Frankly, the timing of injury is nothing short of unfortunate. The Red Devils play against Brighton and Hove Albion this week, and United’s summer signing could miss Premier League action. The Premier League matches do not matter as much anymore since United clinched a top four finish. More importantly, Lukaku could miss the biggest game in United’s season: the FA Cup final versus Chelsea.
Manchester United’s season started off well, with high hopes of winning multiple pieces of silverware. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, they lost points, and Manchester City ran off to become untouchable in the Premier League table. Lukaku looked worth every penny spent early in the season.
As the year drew on, Lukaku continued scoring for Manchester United, including scoring in European competition. Perhaps a low point in the season, Manchester United lost to Sevilla. Because of this loss, the club looked for silverware in other places. Thus, Mourinho put all his effort into the FA Cup, just as he did with the Europa league last season.
Can Manchester United still manage to win the FA Cup final without Lukaku?
As of now, it is not guaranteed that the Belgian will miss the final, but it appears likely. Without the striker, Marcus Rashford could be converted back to his natural position: striker. Rashford is much faster than Lukaku, but he does not have the same striking abilities as Romelu Lukaku.
Thankfully for Manchester United, Chelsea are not an attacking dominate team. For example, their summer signing, Alvaro Morata, missed a goal during a one on one attack on the opposing goalkeeper. From looking at Morata’s form, Chelsea should not be that hard of an opponent. After all, Antonio Conte looks to be failing to meet expectations as the Chelsea manager, and the Red Devils already got the best of Chelsea earlier in the season.
Next: Player ratings: Manchester United 2, Arsenal 1
Ultimately, Lukaku’s injury comes at great cost to Mourinho. The Belgian has over 25 goals this season, beating his previous best at Everton last season. With the striker out, it will give other team members a shot at a starting position. With Lukaku definitely out against Brighton, how will Mourinho line up his men? Should Mourinho field his best eleven on Friday, or should he rest his men to prepare for the FA Cup final?