Romelu Lukaku has not been included in Man Utd’s match-day squad to face Bournemouth on Saturday, and Jose Mourinho has revealed why.
As noted by The Express, speculation was rife over whether or not the Belgian international had been dropped after he wasn’t spotted travelling with the rest of the squad on Friday.
Given he has only scored four goals in 14 games so far this season, with his last goal coming back in September, it had been suggested that he may well be left out due to a lack of confidence and form, as seen last weekend for the win over Everton.
However, as noted in the tweets below, Mourinho has now confirmed that Lukaku picked up a problem in training yesterday and that it’s serious enough to keep him out of action on Saturday.
Instead, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez have been tasked with leading United’s line this weekend, with Marcus Rashford dropping to the bench.
It remains to be seen if Lukaku is in contention to return against Juventus in the Champions League next week, but the 25-year-old will surely hope that the opportunity to sit out and fully recover will help him regroup and get back to being a pivotal figure leading the line for the Red Devils for the rest of the season.
Jose Mourinho: “In training yesterday, after the press conference, he felt something that needs to be studied in the next days.” #mufc
— Kristof Terreur ? (@HLNinEngeland) November 3, 2018
Mourinho: “In training yesterday, after the press conference, he felt something that needs to be studied in the next couple of days. So, Lukaku has not come and we decided to start with Alexis.” #MUFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 3, 2018
