JOSE’S Af ter 997 minutes,
FOR Romelu Lukaku, the dreaded second- season syndrome has proved hard to conquer.
After going a long way to justifying his £75million move from Everton to Manchester United with 27 goals in his debut season at Old Trafford, Lukaku has found it hard to replicate that form this term.
To put Lukaku’s recent difficult spell into context, it was his first goal at Old Trafford since March 31 – ending a barren run of 997 minutes without scoring at home.
Branded “untouchable” last season by United boss Jose Mourinho, this campaign has not been so smooth for Lukaku, injury and poor form sabotaging any hope of building on the success of last term. After ending his 12- game goal drought in United’s 2-2 draw at Southampton a week ago, Lukaku’s reward was to be dropped in midweek for the draw at home to Arsenal.
Coming off the bench in the second-half against the Gunners, Lukaku completed one pass in his 27 minutes on the pitch, the stat summing up a frustrating season in which he has seen his effectiveness as United’s main striker called into question.
But here, admittedly against the Premier League’s hapless bottom club, Lukaku found a platform from which to relaunch his season with a display that, while reaffirming his qualities, also shone a light on his enduring limitations.
There were the obligatory Lukaku-esque moments of farce,