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#3 FORWARDS
United certainly have some exciting forwards at their disposal, with an interesting mix of youth and experience underpinning their talent. The general consensus among the United fans is that the forwards are not performing at the highest level in Mourinho’s overly defensive-minded set-up. Mkhitaryan, who was transferred to Arsenal as part of an exchange deal for Sanchez, has since criticized Mourinho’s tactics as limiting his attacking output. The Reds also scored 38 goals fewer than their neighbors City, and it is clear that United must improve on the same in the 2018/19 season.
ROMELU LUKAKU: 86 --> 88
Lukaku can be absolutely unplayable at times, as he showed on numerous occasions both in club competitions last season as well as in the World Cup. His direct and powerful running, combined with a brilliant physique, always makes him a menace for opposition defenders. He scored a respectable 16 goals in his debut season for United in the league, scoring 27 goals in all competitions. He also enjoyed a fantastic World Cup with Belgium, with whom he reached the semi-finals, but missed out on the Golden Boot to a rumored target of Manchester United, Harry Kane. Lukaku is also the personal favorite of many FIFA players because of his pace and power. He should get an upgrade of 2 points from FIFA 18.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ: 88 --> 88
Alexis Sanchez made a controversial switch to Manchester United in the January transfer window, a move which saw Mkhitaryan move the opposite way. In the first half of the season with Arsenal, Sanchez was his usual mercurial self, scoring some brilliant goals both in the league as well as Europa League. Since his switch to Old Trafford, Sanchez has the potential of adding a cutting-edge to United’s attack. Despite losing possession at an alarming rate at times, Sanchez’s strength is in changing the course of the match with a moment of magic. However, he scored only 11 goals in total for both clubs last season, and therefore his rating should remain unchanged.
ANTHONY MARTIAL: 82 --> 83
Anthony Martial’s United future is in the dark at the moment, with public spats with Mourinho grabbing the headlines during pre-season. A lack of game-time towards the end of last season, following Sanchez’s arrival, cost him his place in the French World Cup squad. The Frenchmen is still young, and his talent on the pitch is undeniable. His direct runs which are with pace and trickery have terrorized full-backs in the Premier League and will be looking to have a strong 2018/19 season. 11 goals in all competition last season should see him earn one rating point.
MARCUS RASHFORD: 79 --> 82
Rashford is now a full England international and is at a crucial step in his career where he must reflect the transition from an exciting youngster to a matured footballer. An argument can be made that Mourinho is not the most conducive manager to develop young attacking talent, as has already been seen with Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, or even Lukaku during his Chelsea tenure. The 2017/18 season proved the above point to an extent, as Rashford’s development was stunted by Jose’s restrictive approach. However, the United No.10 has made 80 league appearances so far for in his United career, registering 17 goals and 8 goals in the process, and will be looking to add to his tally in the 2018/19 season.
