Do Manchester United need a new striker to replace Romelu Lukaku?

The answer is simply, yes. Despite Marcus Rashford having huge potential, he’s still young and his form as a striker is still too inconsistent. This is normal for a player of Rashford’s age, and the same can be said of Anthony Martial – who’s started the season well. So with Manchester United playing in four competitions each season, it is imperative that the club bring in another world-class striker in January. United fans pay big money for Manchester United tickets, and they strive to see the best players possible so they need to strengthen up front.

No doubt, Romelu Lukaku’s exit to Inter Milan freed-up a large portion of the wage bill and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have had funds available to sign a replacement before the window shut earlier this month. Inter Milan are known to have put up Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi on the transfer list and United were linked this summer. His style of play and goal scoring ability makes him an ideal replacement for Lukaku and United could renew their interest this winter.

On the flip-side, Lukaku’s record in front of goal for both Everton and Manchester United was second to none. His critics often say that the powerful forward could never do it in the big games, but the Belgian had his fair share of moments when it mattered. He was the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals in terms of age yet since his move to Old Trafford it seems he never gets the credit he deserves. Many say Lukaku is too bulky and has lost his pace. At Everton, he was powerful and fast yet in Manchester he seemed slow and sluggish. Many have claimed that it’s due to his efforts in the gym, potentially spending too much time bulking-up his body up. This has led the forward losing a yard of pace that used to scare the opposition defenders that he went up against.

However, looking at United’s remaining forward options, Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James, yes they’re all quick players but perhaps the Red Devils now lack variety without Lukaku. His presence up front could have been useful against teams who will look to sit back and defend for 90 minutes. If United do look to sign a new striker in January, they should look for a target-man type forward who will bring something different to the squad. Potential replacements could include Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint Germain, or even Gonzalo Higuain who was on loan at Chelsea last season. These would be for the style that could differentiate, not necessarily as an out and out starter.

Overall, Rashford and Martial are yet to show real consistency as central strikers and have had their fair share of injury problems so it is extremely important that the Red Devils bring in another striker to replace Lukaku. With Lukaku successfully forcing a move to Italy, he’s left a huge void in the squad which needs to be filled so it’s vital Solskjaer does something about it – especially with so many cup games to play this season.