Man Utd striker Romelu Lukaku was reportedly not spotted with the rest of the squad flying out for their clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Red Devils take on Eddie Howe’s men in the early kick-off on Saturday, and so it will become apparent very soon as to whether or not the Belgian international will feature as part of the matchday squad.
His form would suggest that he shouldn’t feature, given that the 25-year-old has managed just four goals in 14 appearances so far this season, with his last goal coming way back on September 15.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Jose Mourinho kept him out of his starting line-up, with The Sun noting that Lukaku wasn’t seen with the squad boarding their flight to Bournemouth, which is also noted by freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery in his tweet below via the Manchester Evening News.
It’s unclear at this stage as to whether that is related to his form or an injury problem, or perhaps Lukaku has merely made his own travel arrangements and will meet up with the rest of the group in Bournemouth ahead of the game.
Further, it’s worth noting that it’s also added by the Sun that the photographer may have merely missed Lukaku, and so United’s confirmation of the squad will be the definitive answer. If Lukaku isn’t in contention, it will no doubt be a talking point in Mourinho’s pre-match interview.
Given his lack of confidence and the fact that he didn’t feature from the start last time out, it perhaps isn’t all that surprising that the Belgian could be on the sidelines again.
[MEN] confirm Sanchez and Lingard were part of the United squad flying to Bournemouth. Romelu Lukaku was not with the group. Diogo Dalot, Antonio Valencia and Marouane Fellaini were also missing but Mourinho has already confirmed the trio are injured. #MUFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 3, 2018