Can Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku end his goalless run against Swansea City?

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Romelu Lukaku had a good opening weekend, as he managed to score two goals and help Manchester United to three points. It was an excellent performance from Jose Mourinho’s side and it would have worried Swansea City supporters, who will be hosting United this weekend. The Swans weren’t convincing at the back in their draw against Southampton, despite managing to keep a clean sheet. That was due to the poor finishing of the South Coast team rather than an impressive defensive display from them.

They will need to be better this weekend, as United won’t be as forgiving in the final third. The obvious danger man is Lukaku, but the Belgian doesn’t have a good record against Swansea City. He hasn’t scored in his last six matches in all competitions against the Welsh club. The striker has been labelled a stat-padder by some of his critics as he scores a significant number of his goals against weaker sides.

It is somewhat surprising that he hasn’t fared better against Swansea, considering the lack of defensive structure of the side in recent seasons. Lukaku will be determined to put an end to that barren run this weekend. He is full of confidence after moving to Old Trafford and he needs to continue his good form in front of goal to prevent his transfer fee from becoming a distraction.

Against West Ham United, the striker fitted seamlessly into the side. He was at the centre of the United attack and was responsible for some excellent moments in the final third. The combination with Marcus Rashford for the first goal was great to watch and that is a partnership that could develop over the next few months.

This feels like the start of something special at Manchester United and the signing of Lukaku might be looked back on as a game-changing moment for the club. There were rumours about other strikers, but the Belgian looks to be a natural fit for this team. Mourinho will want them to play counter-attack and his style relies on having a certain type of centre forward.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was effective, but he lacked the pace, power and mobility to really thrive. The Swede managed to score goals, but the balance of the attacking unit was wrong. Lukaku looks to be the correct player to restore the balance and United’s attack certainly looked much improved with him in it. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were all impressive and benefited from the space that was created by Lukaku.

The Belgian international may not have a good record against Swansea, but he is now playing in a better team. His confidence levels are sky high and there is a good chance that he finally finds the back of the net against the Swans. Paul Clement’s side weren’t convincing at the back last weekend. Lukaku has a great opportunity to cash in and it would be a surprise if he fired another blank against the Welsh club.