Romelu Lukaku may have found his best role for Manchester United

Manchester United won it’s eighth straight match under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer with a convincing 3-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates.

With every passing week, Solksjaer is making a stronger case for himself as United’s next permanent manager.

The Red Devils have now cut the gap with the top 4 to just 3 points, and following their most recent win, are in with a decent chance of winning the FA Cup.

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Their Champions League round-of-16 tie against PSG is also not as daunting as it was under Mourinho, with Neymar being ruled out of the first leg at Old Trafford.

Several players have considerably improved since Mourinho’s departure. While the most noticeable ones might be Pogba, Rashford, Lingard and Herrera, Solksjaer has also brought about a considerable change in Romelu Lukaku.

A more creative role?

The 25-year-old Belgian was a maligned figure earlier this season, coming under heavy criticism for his poor goalscoring record and low fitness levels.

Lukaku barely featured in Solksjaer’s opening matches, and is still playing second fiddle to Rashford. However, there has been a remarkable change in his performances and his role in the team.

He’s often been chastised for his poor first touch and dribbling, but Lukaku has always been a deceptively good passer of the ball.

While Mourinho’s rigid system in his final few months at Old Trafford didn’t allow him to show some of his more creative qualities, Solksjaer and his management team appear to have tweaked United’s system to accommodate Lukaku.

The Norwegian first experimented with a 4-3-3 diamond against Tottenham, and that was primarily to get the in-form Rashford to run at Jan Vertonghen, who had just returned from injury.

That tactic worked splendidly well at Wembley, with Rashford beating the 31-year-old for pace and burying Pogba’s through ball past Hugo Lloris.

Those who followed Belgium at the World Cup will recollect that Lukaku often played in a wide-right role, something in between a traditional striker and a winger. Solksjaer positioned him in that same role against Arsenal, with Sanchez on the left.

The best part about this system is that it also brings out the best in Lingard. The Englishman has never really had a fixed role for United, but when he plays in the hole behind two wide forwards, it allows him to bring the ball out while counter-attacking with Pogba, while also creating space with his runs off the ball.

Lukaku’s physicality and his uncanny eye for a pass allows him to either get into the area for Pogba’s long balls, or to drop off and pick out runs from Lingard and Sanchez.

This is really good news for United, because Martial, Rashford, Sanchez and Lukaku are all capable of playing this unusual role, and yet they’re all players with a very wide range of skill-sets. This gives Solksjaer plenty of options while attacking.

Rashford’s incredible goalscoring form means that he’s likely going to be first choice ahead of Lukaku, but the Belgian has now shown what he can provide when he plays to his strengths.