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Manchester United closed the summer transfer window without a Deadline Day signing, instead selling striker Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. The Belgian joined the Serie A side in a deal worth £74 million on Thursday.
This brings an end to Lukaku’s lacklustre two years at Old Trafford following his move from Everton in the summer of 2017. The former Chelsea forward is now the third most expensive signing by a Serie A club – just behind Cristiano Ronaldo (£99.2 million) and Gonzalo Higuain (£75.3 million).
The 26-year-old was not always a popular figure at United, with fans often mocking his poor first touch rather than celebrating his goals. However, he still managed a decent goal return, scoring 42 times in 96 games for the Red Devils.
Following his move to Inter Milan, we take a look three reasons why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could regret selling the Belgian:
#3 Lukaku was United’s main source of goals
There has been a lot of talk about Lukaku’s poor first touch and how he does not fit into Solskjaer’s system, but the fact is that the Belgian was the Red Devils’ main source of goals in his time at the club.
During his two years at Old Trafford, Lukaku scored 27 and 15 goals respectively. For all his flaws, the 26-year-old was the club’s biggest goal threat and that cannot be disputed.
He may not be as lethal as a Luis Suarez or Wayne Rooney, but Lukaku is a natural goal scorer and United will miss him. For a club that struggled to score goals last season, selling the top scorer is definitely bad business, especially when he has not even been replaced.
No player in the current team offers a better goal threat than Lukaku and the club could rue allowing the striker to leave when the season kickstarts.
#2 Martial and Rashford cannot be relied upon
With Romelu Lukaku sold, Manchester United are now left with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as the options up front. The young pair are full of promise, but have proven on numerous occasions that they cannot be relied upon for an entire season.
Martial, in particular, has often blown hot and cold, while Rashford’s inconsistency means he is unlikely to guarantee 20 goals a season. Both players will definitely have their chances now that Lukaku has left, but can they be trusted to deliver on a regular basis?
For a club looking to get back into the top four, Manchester United have the weakest attack among the contenders. Arsenal have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and new signing Nicolas Pepe; Manchester City have Sergio Aguero and the in-form Raheem Sterling; Liverpool have Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to fire in the goals, while even Tottenham Hotspur possess the ever-lethal Harry Kane.
The Red Devils, though, are currently without an out-and-out striker and will go into the season with two forwards whose goal prowess does not in any way match that of the departed Lukaku.
#1 Long season, limited strike options
Romelu Lukaku’s sale also means that Manchester United are left with limited options up front. Aside from the fact that Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are not typical no.9s, the supporting cast of Alexis Sanchez and young Mason Greenwood aren’t any better.
The Red Devils are in for a very long season, where they’ll be playing in multiple competitions: Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League. However, the strike options at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s disposal are limited and unconvincing.
An unlikely injury to any of their forwards would leave the club in a very precarious situation due to the limited options in attack. Having Lukaku around would have been a good option, even if he wasn’t going to be starting every game.
As it stands, though, United are set to challenge on four fronts with two inconsistent strikers in Martial and Rashford and an out of form Alexis Sanchez leading the line. The club may live to regret selling Lukaku when the going eventually gets tough.
