Another game against top quality opposition and another underwhelming performance from Romelu Lukaku.Manchester United’s £75 million summer signing has struggled to make an impact in the big matches since arriving at Old Trafford from Everton, and it was a similar story on Wednesday night at Wembley.The Belgian striker, who boasts a reasonably impressive 18 goals in 34 matches for the Red Devils, never seriously troubled the Spurs’ back-line barring one shot in the second half.The Manchester Evening News handed Lukaku a 5/10 rating for his performance, pointing out that he was unreliable in possession.However, it might have been a different story had United’s players created more opportunities for the centre-forward. Spurs dominated the match and were excellent value for their 2-0 victory.
Rio drops truth bomb on Lukaku after Spurs defeat
After the match, though, former United player Rio Ferdinand made a perfectly fair point about Lukaku after watching his performance compared to that of Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
Although the prolific England international didn’t add to his 30-goal tally for Spurs, Ferdinand was hugely impressed with his work ethic and hold-up play.
“I think Harry Kane showed today why he’s the best striker in the league and one of the potent in Europe because he bullied Manchester United’s two centre-halves today, totally bullied them physically, bringing other people into play,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“The contrast between him and Lukaku today was so evident it was unbelievable. The ball going into [Kane], sticking, holding centre-halves off, bringing others into the game - that’s a real number nine.
“That’s the way you want to see a number nine play.”
Say no more, Rio.
Kane, according to the legendary defender, showed Lukaku how to play as a No. 9 at Wembley.
Video: Ferdinand on Lukaku/Kane
Watch the video here...
Calling Kane’s performance that of a ‘real number nine’ compared to Lukaku might sound a little harsh on United’s first-choice striker, but the Spurs forward is clearly on a different level right now.
Here’s how football fans on Twitter reacted to Rio’s comments…
Is Lukaku good enough to be United's main striker?
In truth, if United fans were given the opportunity to swap Lukaku with Kane, very few of them would turn it down.
Lukaku, if he’s to retain his status as United’s first-choice striker, must start winning points for the Red Devils in the big matches.
After all, the club’s great strikers have all done exactly that throughout the years.
Do Man Utd need a better striker than Romelu Lukaku - or is he good enough? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.