Since the start of the current season, Romelu Lukaku has scored more goals for Belgium than he has for Manchester United.
One against Scotland and two against each of Iceland and Switzerland makes a total of five, and one more than the striker has managed in the Premier League and Champions League combined.
Therefore, it’s really no surprise that opinions from his home country’s media may differ somewhat from the media closer to the club.
Belgian newspaper HLN has an article in their Monday edition on Lukaku’s current situation at Old Trafford and the perception of his form.
Titled ‘Lukaku must live on crumbs’ it’s a defence of the player if not a complete exoneration.
The striker is said to be ‘hungry’ but the service being provided to him is the equivalent of a ‘diet’.
With just 20 touches over the course of the entire match against Crystal Palace, Lukaku is dubbed ‘The Robinson Crusoe in Jose Mourinho’s team’.
It’s explained he isn’t in tune with his teammates and sometimes drops too deep, but HLN make clear to say the player’s woes are a symptom and not the cause of Manchester United being unable to get it together in attack.
Lukaku hasn’t always had such sympathetic coverage in Belgium. Indeed, when Marc Wilmots was manager of the national team there were similar worries about the striker’s all round contribution, and specifically about his lack of movement.
In June 2013, Wilmots said of the then Everton player and Christian Benteke: “We ask them to come to the front post, but they stood there like two poles. We still have to work.”
In September of the same year, Wilmots added: “Lukaku is doing well. He has already scored four times for Everton. If he plays, I expect that he plays for the team, and will use his speed behind and in the corners. He must not take root between the two Bosnian defenders. He needs to move and create space for others.”
