Romelu Lukaku: 5 reasons it's too early to write him off

Maybe the illusion of detachment caused by the idiot box snowballs the disenchantment but aren't we often being way too critical of the players? Sure, they're on TV and projected on screens worldwide, but are we just too quick to forget that they're human too? Or maybe I'm just being too liberal. These are world-class athletes and we have come to expect nothing short of that billing.

Romelu Lukaku looks as though he burned too much gas to at the beginning and is tapping the reserve by the trickle. He is simply not scoring enough goals. But for a player who has already scored 10 goals in the Premier League and another 4 in the Champions League, I feel like we're half-a-dozen-months early to be writing him off.

Now that the pre-analysis pleasantries are over, let's dive right in and see as to why it is way too early to deem Lukaku a failure.

#5 Romelu Lukaku is only 24 years old

For a player who has been among the most prolific strikers over the past few seasons, Lukaku is still a very young lad. He is 24-years-old for heavens sakes and is still a good 3 years away from hitting his peak.

Not only has Lukaku played in the top flight and racked up 'em goals but he has got us to get used to it. So much so that all that entertainment has come to be taken for granted.

But from a striker for whom United paid around £75m, we expect no less. That doesn't mean we can rile him up and steal his rug like the thugs in The Big Lebowski.

"Where are the goals, Lukaku? Give me the goals, Lukaku."

Relax, he may not look it but the Belgian giant is just a young lad with as vulnerable a cranium as most of ours and sooner or later, he will figure it out and step up.

#4 Never underestimate the magic of Pogba

Paul Pogba and Lukaku have a telepathic connection of sorts

Manchester United with Paul Pogba (right before his recent return)

Goals per game: 2.5

Shots per game: 19.5

Average possession: 61.7%

Passes per game: 580

Manchester United without Paul Pogba

Goals per game: 1.6

Shots per game: 11.3

Average possession: 50.6%

Passes per game: 472

The numbers speak for itself. But there are some things that numbers don't convey. Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba are close friends and have an almost telepathic understanding between them.

Paul Pogba is the cog in Mourinho's setup that steadily links the backline with the front. He does it with ease and elegance. There simply is no other Manchester United midfielder who can create so many chances for the strikers to sharpen their blades for.

As soon as Pogba was ruled out with a hamstring problem, the smile on Lukaku's face faded and the goals dried up. On the night of Pogba's return, United sprang back to life and took Newcastle for a 4-1 whooping.

Though Pogba wasn't involved when Lukaku got his goal, Manchester United just becomes a more cohesive unit when Pogba's magic is encompassing them.

#3 Staggering levels of fitness

In the last 3 Premier League seasons, Romelu Lukaku appeared for Everton in 37,37 and 36 matches respectively. In the season before that, he appeared 31 times. And 98% of these came as a starter.

Red Rom roams around the field and works the shift to the very end every single night. He has not been sidelined at all. Lukaku's ability to stay fit is one of his strongest attributes and something that has helped him bag all those goals that he has in the past.

Even if he is going through a rough patch and doesn't score for a series of games, you can expect him to bounce back because he is there for the entire season and boy, the winter doesn't last forever.

At the end of the season, Lukaku will have played 35 odd games and racked up more than 20 goals and suddenly the slumps are forgotten and folks are running around looking for gold dust.

#2 A stone faced Lukaku is good news for Manchester United

Lukaku decided not to celebrate his goal for the second game in a row

Contrary to the arguments offered on air about the absolute lack of celebration after opening the scoring against West Bromwich Albion, it is perhaps the guilt that leaves Lukaku stone-faced.

After assisting 2 of Manchester City's goals in the derby and lending a hand in mounting evidence against himself in the context of "bigger games", it is understandable that Lukaku's head is no place for peace and quiet.

Just like he did after scoring against Bournemouth, Lukaku stayed where was, stared at the crowd and nodded away in silence. Regardless of whether or not it's dejection showing after having been handed a basinful of ridicule or the nonchalance of unsatiated hunger, this is more or less what United will want to see from Lukaku.

His workrate has been on the up and it seems to be exponentially rising with the amount of criticism he has to shoulder. True, he needs to stay away from the United box when they are defending set-pieces but otherwise, Lukaku has got his heart in the right place and looks eager to prove himself beyond all reasonable doubt.

#1 Those who roll with the lion...

Yeah, sure, this is not peak Zlatan. In fact, I find myself looking at the idiot box screaming, "who stole your bag of tricks and flicks, big man?"

But if Lukaku is looking for lessons on how to deal with the shining lights and the crippling hatred, he needs to look no further than the Samurai swagger rocking badass from Sweden, the one and only Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The contention is going to be dealt with in a two-fold manner.

First of all, there is the factor of added competition. When you're battling Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a starting spot, no matter if he's 25 years old or 37, you just gotta give it your best or you can carry his water bottle for him.

Secondly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is as inspirational and experienced a figure as any that a Premier League striker looking to make it big in Europe could ask to be mentored by. Zlatan is surely generous enough to nudge Lukaku into the right path and will definitely let him know of the do's and the don'ts in the final third.

Virgil Van Dijk has just signed for Liverpool for almost the same amount of money United paid for the former Everton hitman. That will take a load off the Belgian's chest and if you want an example of how that helps a player, just take a look at Paul Pogba.

Edited by Shambhu Ajith