Has Lukaku reclaimed his form at Manchester United?

He may not be as clinical as Harry Kane or as prolific as Sergio Aguero, but Romelu Lukaku remains a thorn in the side of opposing Premier League teams.

The Belgian was at his resplendent best as he bagged a brace that inspired Manchester United to a 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Lukaku may have scored the opener with a well worked finish after just three minutes of play, but it was the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology that ridiculed the encounter with controversy, after Juan Mata’s goal towards the end of the first half was ruled out under controversial circumstances.

There was no stopping United on the night however, as a blistering counter attack in the 55th minute saw Alexis Sanchez put through the Belgian with a scissoring pass; one which he calmly disposed into the back of the net potentially killing the game.

Manchester United have a such booked a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion where they will unquestionably call upon the services of their main man upfront.

 

More goals scored

The talk of Romelu Lukaku’s demise as a goal scorer and a genuine contender in the race for the golden boot has been untimely and quite rightly, greatly exaggerated.

His double against the Terriers saw him take his season tally to 21 goals in all competition; the combined total scored by Alvaro Morata [12] and Alexandre Lacazette [9].

 

Still the main man

Lukaku may be getting in among the goal scoring act but the journey over the course of the season has had its own fair share of challenges.

The 24-year old notably went through a rough patch during the first half of the season where he had a goalless drought that lasted nearly two months.

Such inconsistencies in front of goal have seen the likes of Morata and Lacazette lose their places to Olivier Giroud and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang respectively midway through their first season, but not for Lukaku.

Jose Mourinho’s belief in his £75m summer signing coupled with the attacking reinforcement in Alexis will only make the Manchester United striker improve in leaps and bounds.

 

Written by Brian Humphrey

Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum

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