The Red Devil give Lukaku the platform he craves to score the goals they need

Michael Cox

This is the age of the false nine and, though there
are few Premier League sides that genuinely use a
player in the role, the emphasis upon link-up play
has unquestionably shifted what managers want
from their attackers.
The likes of Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez
didn't consider themselves No. 9s when arriving in
England, but have been pushed forward to become
a main striker with great goal-scoring success.
The same thing happened with Robin van Persie
and Carlos Tevez. Even Harry Kane, often
considered a traditional No. 9, prefers to wear 10
as he considered himself more of an all-rounder
when developing.
And then there's Romelu Lukaku. In a sense he
feels like a throwback, a striker eternally making
runs and positioning himself in traditional scoring
positions. His movement is occasionally
disappointing and his link play is nothing like that
of Sanchez or Tevez but, in terms of being a
traditional, "old-school" No. 9, Lukaku is among
the best. That makes him perfect for Manchester
United and, in particular, Jose Mourinho.
On the list of players at top clubs, who scored
more than 15 goals last season, the only two
comparable as traditional No. 9s are Diego Costa
and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, both of whom United's
manager brought to English football. Mourinho has
little interest in patient build-up play, preferring a
more direct route to goal and, in that sense, a
traditional striker suits him well.
That's not to say that Lukaku is a particularly
adept target man. Indeed, for such a tall -- he is
listed as 6-feet-2 -- and powerful striker, it's
arguable that he doesn't offer anything like what
he should as an aerial threat.
This has been an area Lukaku has improved upon,
however. He scored six headed goals last season,
only behind Christian Benteke and Fernando
Llorente, two players renowned for their prowess
in the air.
Lukaku is more about working the channels and
this should work nicely with Mourinho's
determination to get the ball forward quickly, as
well as the ability of Juan Mata and Henrikh
Mkhitayran to play through balls.
United have had mixed experiences with traditional
centre-forwards during the years, but the club's
tradition is to play with more speed and directness
than they've been accustomed to in recent
seasons.
The Louis van Gaal reign was particularly notable
for sluggish build-up play and, while Ibrahimovic
scored 28 goals and had an excellent impact
during his sole season in England, he lacked the
speed to stretch play and force the opposition
back.
The curious thing about Lukaku's style, though, is
that he broadly plays the same role as Marcus
Rashford. The 19-year-old is a No. 9 who works
the channels excellently and is a fine close-range
finisher. Rashford is more versatile and can play
on either flank, but it still feels like his skill set is
suited to being a proper centre-forward, even in a
three-man attack.
Mourinho is smart enough to use the right
attackers at the right moments tactically, but is
there any situation in which Rashford would be a
better fit than Lukaku? No, they're roughly the
same type of forward and so Rashford might worry
when he'll be favoured for big games.
Meanwhile, despite his apparent suitability to what
Mourinho wants, United's capture of Lukaku is
somewhat surprising for two reasons.
First, because Chelsea seemed to be in pole
position to land the Belgian international; manager
Antonio Conte is reportedly annoyed not to have
landed his top target. Instead, another Stamford
Bridge old boy will strengthen a direct title rival
and, just as Kevin De Bruyne has excelled at
Manchester City, one wonders whether Chelsea
might regret not keeping Lukaku.
Second, United seemed more likely to sign Alvaro
Morata, who Mourinho had brought through at Real
Madrid. Morata is probably more of an all-rounder
than Lukaku, more intelligent with his movement
and better at linking play. He might well be a
better centre-forward overall.
However, while Morata would be adjusting to a
new league, a new culture and a new language,
Lukaku represents less of a risk. Plus, his record
in the Premier League is genuinely excellent: He's
managed 17, 15, 10, 18 and 25 goals in his five
seasons as a regular with West Bromwich Albion
and Everton.
He's only the fourth player to reach 80 goals
before turning 24, after Michael Owen, Wayne
Rooney and Robbie Fowler, although it's worth
considering that those three all peaked rather early
and were a shadow of their former selves by the
time they hit 30.
But perhaps Lukaku's most underrated qualities
are his belief, his dedication and professionalism;
he's a hugely ambitious, hard-working player
determined to make himself one of the best in the
world. He has said he looks up to four players to
make himself better: Luis Suarez, Robert
Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Edinson
Cavani.
When asked whether he can become one of the
best in the world earlier this year, Lukaku said
boldly: "Definitely, definitely. But to do that, you
need the platform to show yourself."
With Manchester United, he has that platform.