Former-Manchester United youth team player turned pundit, Robbie Savage, has predicted £75 million summer signing Romelu Lukaku could double Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal tally from last season.
Ibra arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer and proved doubters wrong by scoring 17 goals in 28 Premier League appearances at the age of 35.
The Swede was a key part of helping us with the UEFA Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield last season.
A serious injury in the Europa League quarter-final tie with Anderlecht back in April ruled him out until the New Year, and thus his one-year contract wasn’t extended beyond last season. Though it’s not impossible that we won’t bring him back once he recovers in time for the second half of the season, if need be.
Romelu Lukaku too had his doubters heading into the new season following his big money move from Everton. This despite the Belgian scoring 25 goals in 37 appearances for the Toffees last season, and 18 goals the season before in a side that didn’t come close to challenging the top four.
The 24-year-old opened his account for us with a consolation in the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid last Tuesday and then opened his Premier League account with a brace in the 4-0 demolition of West Ham on Sunday. For the record, Fabrizio Ravanelli’s hat-trick versus Liverpool on the opening day of the 1996-97 season is the only occasions a player has scored more goals on their Premier League debut for a club than what Lukaku accomplished at the weekend.
Robbie Savage has made a bold prediction in telling BBC Five Live that our big striker could score between 30-35 goals.
He told the radio station last night:
“It’s exciting times here at Old Trafford this season.
“Lukaku could, with the start he had today, he could be getting 30, 35 goals for United.”
We looked as free-flowing as we ever had under Jose Mourinho on Sunday, with Marcus Rashford terrorising Pablo Zabaleta down the left wing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan putting in his best performance in a United shirt and both Paul Pogba and Juan Mata playing some killer passes. If these performances become consistent then Lukaku is going to get a lot of supply to break the 30-goal barrier this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 31 goals during our 2007-08 double campaign is the only time in the Premier League that one of our players has hit the 30-goal mark.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login