How Will Romelu Lukaku Cope With The Pressure When Manchester United Go To Liverpool?

How Will Romelu Lukaku Cope With The Pressure When Manchester United Go To Liverpool?
10:47, 10 Oct 2017

Romelu Lukaku’s record against Liverpool stands up rather well. In 11 games against the Anfield club, he has scored five times. That’s markedly better than his record against some of the other teams that tend to sit at the top of the Premier League. For instance, he has yet to find the net against Chelsea, and has only once scored against Spurs.

Indeed, the Belgian’s big game record has been held against him for quite some time. It was the caveat that accompanied his scoring record over four successful years at Everton. It was a question he would have to answer if he were to lead Manchester United as their goalscorer in-chief this season.

So far, Lukaku has answered every question asked of him at Old Trafford, hitting the ground running following his £75 million move from Everton in the summer. But Saturday’s match at Anfield presents him with the biggest test of, not just his fledgling Manchester United career, but his entire career up until now.

This Saturday will prove something of a litmus test for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United, with the Old Trafford side targeting the title this season. If they are to go toe-to-toe with rivals Manchester City for silverware, this is a game they must pick up something from. They need their players to be in top form, particularly Lukaku, who has liberated United’s frontline over the early part of the campaign.

What’s more, United will be somewhat bare in midfield. Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are both expected to miss out through injury, with Marcus Rashford and even Lukaku himself also struggling with knocks after the international break. The burden will fall squarely on the shoulders of the Belgian striker like never before. He is now the face of one of the biggest football clubs in the world. 

With that comes pressure, and that’s something Lukaku has previously struggled to deal with in big games. But something has changed over the summer. He looks invigorated by the challenge at Old Trafford, with the trust of Mourinho getting the best out of the 24-year-old. Whether that will carry into the first big game of Manchester United’s season is unknown, but all will become clearer in Saturday’s early kick-off.

“I think every step in his (Lukaku’s) career he grabbed it [the opportunity] with both hands,” Mourinho said last month, praising the impact of the striker at Manchester United. “It was always his dream to come to this level and since he arrived I don’t think he thinks about another thing than in his success so he works hard, he rests, he has a great professional life outside the football pitch.”

It’s easy to forget, given how long he has been around for, that Lukaku is still one 24. He has played a lot of football for such a young player, and so his peak might come a little sooner than most players’. However, it’s unlikely that the Belgian will stagnate from this point on. He’s only just made it to the top level, the level that will see him challenging for trophies and playing in the Champions League as a first-team figure. 

But if he is to continue his progression as one of the most dangerous strikers in the game, Saturday’s game against Liverpool represents another watershed moment. Big names perform in the big games, and for Manchester United they don’t come much bigger than a trip to Anfield in the midst of a title challenge. This is the sort of match Lukaku was bought to score the winner in.

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