davek
Player Valuation: £150m
No, no player is bigger than the club...but he is the reason we've had a decent season and he will be a nightmare to replace.
Disproportionate to every other club he is responsible for his team's fortunes.
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Disproportionate to every other club he is responsible for his team's fortunes.
I take it you didn't see him wave at Bill then Dave?
another good couple of goals gobbled up today.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
TBH mate, I think we al should have learned by now that what Lukaku says and does from one moment to the next is irrelevant. What isn't irrelevant is the contract in front of both him and Barkley unsigned.
n01efc
Player Valuation: £20m
I think Zaltan at Utd is at the same level
He'll be here in September Dave
In the right place for both goals which is something he's improved massively on since he first arrived. He's now scored more goals this season than Middlesborough have as a team.
I'll cry when he leaves.
I'll cry when he leaves.
funkygibson
Player Valuation: £5m
Phil Neville was spot on pre match. Will score against average teams. To be fair even though I'm approaching my fifties I'd have fancied my chances up against that centre half Leicester had out today.
artetas_biggest_fan
Player Valuation: £6m
We saw the strength and weakness today....strength is he gets on the end of service, weakness is he relies on service (times he had to do stuff on his own he struggled/on one occasion fell over). It's nitpicking yes, but I'm judging him against the very best and he's nowhere near it. Talk of 65 to 70 mill is utter madness, but that's the way the game is going. His own goal tally masks the flaws in his game. Mentioned before, I'd rather have a 15 goal a season forward that makes the attack function really well in every game, than a 25-30 goal forward who adds nothing to the attack as a whole and is invisible against better teams.
Some qualities a top forward needs; A top forward compliments the team and creates for others, a top forward is not anonymous in games when the service isn't on a plate, a top forward has quick movement (especially in the lightning quick modern era), a top forward stretches defenders and pulls them all over the place, a top forward can run the channels and hold the ball up, a top forward has a quality first touch and can interplay with others (quick one twos etc.). Lukaku has none of these things. It's why he is quiet in games against better quality teams when the midfield is pushed back and isnt able to just swing balls into the box on a plate for him. He's too one dimensional to be a top forward. Being an excellent finisher isn't enough. With the exception of Arsenal there is not one team in the top six where he would get in the starting XI. United are short upfront, but his non movement wouldn't compliment Ibrahimovic who needs a mobile player to work off him.
Some qualities a top forward needs; A top forward compliments the team and creates for others, a top forward is not anonymous in games when the service isn't on a plate, a top forward has quick movement (especially in the lightning quick modern era), a top forward stretches defenders and pulls them all over the place, a top forward can run the channels and hold the ball up, a top forward has a quality first touch and can interplay with others (quick one twos etc.). Lukaku has none of these things. It's why he is quiet in games against better quality teams when the midfield is pushed back and isnt able to just swing balls into the box on a plate for him. He's too one dimensional to be a top forward. Being an excellent finisher isn't enough. With the exception of Arsenal there is not one team in the top six where he would get in the starting XI. United are short upfront, but his non movement wouldn't compliment Ibrahimovic who needs a mobile player to work off him.
Barnfred 55
Player Valuation: £80m
A top forward scores goals.
Lukaku with a partner who could create right up front with him would be unstoppable. I am surprised that he shows such a lack of greediness at times, getting it onto his left-foot from 20-25 yards out but not wanting to shoot and wanting to bring other players into play. His passing could improve, and he should turn and run more often, but he is still only 23! He has said in a recent interview he doesn't 'want to peak too early'. Finding a club that can bring us £70m+ is not going to be easy either. Walsh said in the pre-match interview on Sky that he would hope Barkley and Lukaku honour their contracts. Realistically though if Lukaku and his agent can arrange a move for the cash Everton find acceptable, he will be off this summer. The only way we will be able to convince him to stay IMO now is to make some serious forays into the transfer market for well-known names asap and we didn't even go for Depay, so I can't see that happening.
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