When he first arrived at Old Trafford, Lukaku had a successful 10-match streak with 11 goals in all competitions. However, that achievement is now only a thing of the past with 19 matches gone, "Little Drogba" has only scored 4 goals.
As for Mourinho, the Portuguese coach was not surprised by this decline of his expensive student. However, this was the first time Mourinho felt helpless when he could not create conditions for his students. The Belgian striker has played every Premier League match since the beginning of the season and has not had a break.
Meanwhile, the one who is expected to replace Lukaku as a striker well is Ibrahimovic, who is in poor form as he has only recovered from a serious knee injury he suffered at the end of last season. Therefore, Mourinho admitted that Lukaku still has to exert himself for the club.
"No, I can't let him go. I know Lukaku is very tired. Physiologically, he is a monster but after all, he is not a machine.
The current situation does not allow him to rest. That could come in a few cup games or before important games. The Champions League or the Premier League are the same, we need to try our best in all competitions," Mourinho shared.
Not only is Lukaku bad on the attack front, he has also been criticized for his defense, which he seems to have never had. In the match against Arsenal, Man City or recently the thrilling draw against Burnley, Lukaku all had situations where De Gea "botted" De Gea very strongly, causing M.U to concede.
However, Mourinho still defended his student because according to the "Special One", the goal that Lukaku scored against West Brom was extremely valuable.
"At that time, the tournament will prepare to enter round 19 and then round 20. For a striker, that is unbelievable power. When you play in a defensive or central midfield position, you can control your fitness but not as a striker.
I think we need to thank Lukaku for giving us all that he has given us," Mourinho shared.
The winter transfer market is about to open and this is the time for M.U to buy a few more valuable names to continue competing. Among them, Antoine Griezmann and Paulo Dybala are big targets in the pipeline.
