Romelu Lukaku deserves respect from Manchester United fans

Marcus Rashford may be in fine form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United – but fans should not forget that Romelu Lukaku is still our number nine.

Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as caretaker manager at Manchester United after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho, Marcus Rashford has finally been given a run of games at centre-forward.

And he’s been brilliant.

In the six Premier League game’s he’s had under Solskjaer, Rashford has netted five goals and registered one assist – meaning he’s in the form of his life at the moment.

This has led many fans and even pundits such as Gary Neville to proclaim that Romelu Lukaku’s days as United’s first-choice striker are over.

I’m here to show why this notion is ludicrous and premature.

Look, the Belgium international isn’t having the best of seasons – but neither was Rashford before Solskjaer arrived.

Indeed, the England international only scored three goals in 14 games under Mourinho.

Yes, he’s doing much better now under the new manager – but that’s because he’s actually been given a chance.

Lukaku was unavailable in Solskjaer’s first two games in charge as he was on compassionate leave.

When he returned to training, he struggled to get a place in the starting XI as Rashford was doing so well in his absence.

However, in the few opportunities he’s had under Solskjaer, Lukaku has actually been pretty decent.

Discounting his cameo appearance against Brighton and Hove Albion, the 25-year-old has actually scored in three of his last four games under Solskjaer!

Not a bad return for a striker who’s supposedly “finished”, eh?

His first two came as a substitute against Bournemouth and Newcastle United – the goal against the latter helping to break the 0-0 deadlock at the time – and his third in the FA Cup Third Round clash against Reading, which helped us to progress to the next round.

So why is everyone so quick to discount the Belgian?

Much has been said about the striker’s touch and his weight gain – but Lukaku has stated that he is working on both so that he can come back stronger.

Fans and ex-United players such as Neville should stop bad-mouthing our number nine and start supporting him during his difficult season – which hasn’t even been as bad as people have been making it out to be.

Given a proper chance under Solskjaer, I have no doubt that Lukaku will become the world-class centre-forward we all know he can be.