This pussycat must be axed until his claws are sharper

If JOSE MOURINHO wants to get Romelu Lukaku firing again, he needs his £75million striker to reach boiling point. I am not talking about a petulant reaction to a penalty-box wrestle with an opponent, but rather his performance. It might be the right moment to leave him out against Watford tomorrow. Lukaku has scored a single goal in his last 10 games in all competitions. Give him some space so that he comes back an angry man, with some fight and determination. I have described Lukaku as a pussycat, whereas Manchester United want a lion on display (and we all know which animal Zlatan Ibrahimovic likes to compare himself to). It is about how you get Lukaku to that stage. He was bought to lead the

line and score the goals to win the title. That isn’t happening. Lukaku’s kick on Brighton’s Gaetan Bong — which was picked up by a television camera at Old Trafford but not by the referee — shows he is getting frustrated. That is not the right type of reaction. When Mourinho was at Chelsea the first time, he had untouchable players who were the first names on the team sheet. Lukaku could be one of those at United, but not in this form. He looks a bit lost.