Luk, he’s all we have got right now…
JOSE MOURINHO has indicated he cannot drop Romelu Lukaku despite admitting the £90million striker is suffering from a crisis of confidence.
Lukaku not only failed to score for the eighth game running in Manchester United’s Champions League defeat by Juventus but did not even manage an attempt on goal, while his touch was poor.
But he will keep his place almost by default to face his former club Everton on Sunday because Mourinho does not believe he has any alternatives.
He does not think either Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford have the strength or experience to play through the middle – and says he needs Rashford on the right wing anyway – while Alexis Sanchez is too small to be a target man and lost his place because of his own poor form.
Mourinho said: “I have to agree his moment is not sweet. Not just with the goals he is not scoring but also in his confidence, movement, his touch. He is not linking the game well. But he’s our striker and a good striker we believe in.
“Could I play Rashford there? Then I don’t have a winger.
“Romelu is a hard-working guy and a fantastic professional that wants to give everything. One day the goals will arrive and the confidence will be back.”
Former United defender Phil Neville had some sympathy for Lukaku because he lacked service against Juve and was up against high-quality defenders in Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. “You have to acknowledge the calibre of the centrebacks he was playing against,” said Neville.
“You also have to ask if he got the correct service – and no, he did not. Of course he has to do more for himself, because in United’s situation they needed their forwards to win them the game in the same way Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala did for Juve.”
Meanwhile, United have been charged by UEFA after three pitch invaders got onto the field on Tuesday.
Shortly after play got under way, a fan ran across the pitch with his hand down the back of his trousers, before being restrained by stewards close to the players.
Two more people made it onto the field at the end as they sought to get close to former United hero Ronaldo.
UEFA will hear the case on November 22. The club said they are reviewing their “pitch-side security protocol”.
United could also be in trouble for arriving late for the game. UEFA rules state teams must be in the stadium 75 minutes before kick-off but United’s coach arrived at 7.09pm for the 8pm kick-off. They were fined £13,000 for their late arrival in the previous home game against Valencia.
Juventus only arrived at 6.52pm, also after traffic problems.
Mourinho has pleaded not guilty to an FA charge that he used “abusive, insulting or improper” language in front of a camera following Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford on October 6.