Manchester To Benefit From Partnership Between Zlanta, Lukaku

There is no doubt Manchester United strengthened their squad during the summer transfer window. The arrivals of Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelöf should bolster the defence, while Romelu Lukaku is quickly proving his worth up front. But undoubtedly one of the biggest signings the club made was the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish forward spent last season with United but was released at the end of the season. He kept rehabbing from a serious injury in the team’s facilities, however. And Zlatan eventually sealed his return on a one-year deal nearing the end of the transfer window.

One of the first things that came to mind was how the two strikers would fit together. United started the season with three straight wins in the Premier League, and Jose Mourinho has been using a 4-2-3-1 tactic. Considering neither Zlatan nor Lukaku can operate on the wing, there is a place for one of the two in team, while the other would have to come off the bench. But if anyone watched United’s pre-season closely, it was noticeable. Mourinho is ready to play them together as soon as possible.

If we exclude the UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid, we can see that United used a 3-4-1-2 system during the pre-season on several games. Usually, Lukaku played up front with another out-and-out striker. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and even Jesse Lingard used that role. But once Zlatan is fit enough to play, he will start alongside the Belgian international. Yes, it might look like an odd partnership on paper. But if we take a closer look then we can see both players will fit better than expected.

First of all, both players have a track record that backs them up. Zlatan netted 17 times in 28 Premier League games in the 2016-17 campaign, and Lukaku scored 25 times for Everton in the same term. The Belgian striker has already contributed with three goals in three matches for The Red Devils this season, so he has already proven his worth in his new club. If we take their performances from last season as a benchmark, then we are talking about a 42-goal partnership.

Both are not likely to repeat that number since Zlatan likely won’t return until November. However, the potential is there for them to become a lethal scoring duo.

Yes, things would also work from a tactical standpoint. Even though both tend to play as central forwards, Ibrahimovic’s game has evolved in recent years and he can easily operate as an in-and-out forward who can roam freely around the box. And Lukaku thrives playing inside the box between the opposing centre-backs because his strength and quick finishing abilities make him a deadly player. Obviously, both players would need some time to adjust and gel together, but the potential is there. With a few games under their belts together, Lukaku and Ibrahimovic have the ability to become the most prolific duo in the English Premier League.

And let’s be honest – can any defence in the world stop the duo of Lukaku and Ibrahimovic? Most teams have problems to contain only one of them. And having both of them at the same time will create nightmares in opposing defensive lines.

Mourinho should pull the trigger as soon as he has the chance. United would benefit greatly from a partnership between their two star attackers.