Manchester United looked like a really strong side as they brushed aside West Ham United in their opening Premier League game of the season.

They dictated the pace of the game and for the most part controlled the match with heavy spells of  possession.

But while the same could be said last season, too many times Man Utd lacked the killer instinct to kill games off and they drew far too many times at Old Trafford.

It was a different story today as new £75m man Romelu Lukaku lead the line almost perfectly and was the difference maker as the Red Devils ran out 4-0 winners.

The forward managed to grab a superb brace, which when added to his goal against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup takes his tally to three in his first two games in a Manchester United jersey.

United’s new number nine had the pace that would often terrorise the Hammers defence, especially with his smart runs in behind the back four. Romelu’s opening strike was all about his intelligent run that got him away from his marker, it was spotted by Marcus Rashford and Lukaku then despatched the ball viciously past Joe Hart.

The hitman’s second goal was a bullet header from an inch perfect cross from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The big Belgian continually won aerial contests (six in total) against a strong West Ham defence. It shows that Man United shouldn’t miss Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s physicality up top too much.

Romelu seems to have settled in quickly with his new teammates and worked well as the team’s focal point. He also looks to have understood what Jose Mourinho’s wants from him and that’s very important for any Man Utd player, especially a new one!

Lukaku’s all round game, his determination to win his individual battles and make good runs for his teammates shows you that the striker is determined to succeed at Old Trafford.

A few have questioned whether or not the twenty-four year old could do well at one of Europe’s powerhouses. He obviously proved himself capable in England’s top flight during his time at Everton but could he make that big step up?

Well I think his first couple of outings have shown us that he has the confidence and importantly the ability to get goals and that’s where strikers earn their crust. He already looks like a top star for his Man Utd team.

Scoring these early goals will excite the fans at Old Trafford and it will give the new man a lot of confidence.

I don’t doubt, if he stays clear of injuries, that Romelu Lukaku will bang in plenty of goals for the ‘Red Devils’ this season and will be amongst the top three goalscorers in the Premier League this term!

Posted on August 13th, 2017 by scott
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