Romelu Lukaku couldn’t have scripted a better start to his Manchester United career.The Belgian striker, who arrived at Old Trafford in a £75 million move from Everton, scored twice on his debut as Man United defeated West Ham 4-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.Such a lofty price tag is sure to mean Lukaku is closely scrutinised, just as Paul Pogba was following his £89m move from Juventus.But Lukaku showed no signs of letting the pressure get to him with a terrific display against the Hammers.Alan Shearer summed it up perfectly in his analysis on Match of the Day 2."It was a complete centre-forward performance,” Shearer said, per the Daily Mail. “He was aggressive, he had pace, he gave his team-mates options and his touch was excellent."More important when you look at a centre forward, he has to deliver goals and he did that today. He was just superb and horrible to play against.”
Lukaku's speed
Those who have never watched Lukaku probably won’t expect him to be the quickest player when they take a look at him.
The 24-year-old is 6’2” and weights more than 100 kilograms. Not numbers you’d typically associate with a speedster.
But Lukaku and Pogba both ran faster than any other Premier League player on the opening weekend of the campaign.
Per Opta, both Man United players reached a top speed of 21.5mph, with Marcus Rashford fourth-fastest at 21.3mph.
To put this into perspective, Usain Bolt reached a top speed of 27.8mph when he set the world record in the 100m sprint in 2009.
The Jamaican’s average speed over the race was 23.35mph.
Watch Lukaku's highlights
Lukaku showcased his speed when he latched onto Rashford’s pass to score his and Man United’s first goal. Watch his individual highlights below.
Shearer: Lukaku can score 30 goals
Shearer continued his appraisal of the former Chelsea forward by admitting that he could reach 30 league goals this season.
“What they had last year with Ibrahimovic was a very good player but someone who was coming towards the end of his career,” the Newcastle United legend added.
“What they have got now in Lukaku is a guy who is 24-years of age, who's into his prime, who's been around the Premier League for five years.
"Now I think he could go onto the next level. He will get more chances playing in a better team. He could, should and probably will get between 25 and 30 league goals this season.”
There’s no question this will be a huge year in Lukaku’s quest to become one of the world’s best strikers.
