Manchester United passed their first Premier League test with flying colours yesterday as they stormed to a 4-0 victory over Slaven Bilic’s new-look West Ham side, in a match where one player in particular made a very good first impression.
Romelu Lukaku made his Premier League debut for the Red Devils and capped the occasion off by scoring a brace, taking his early record with Manchester United to three goals in two games- having netted a consolation goal in the European Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid in midweek.
Questions have been asked about the Belgian striker’s suitability to Jose Mourinho’s side after earning himself a reputation at Everton for not being as consistent as he should be, especially against the big teams, and whilst the jury remains out on that overall he has already silenced some critics.
Perhaps the best sign for Manchester United was how Lukaku and fellow debutant Nemanja Matic slotted into Mourinho’s set-up, with the Serbian midfielder in particular looking decisive in a much more free role than he had last season with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
Paul Pogba also looked bright, entering his second season at the club following his club-record move from Juventus last summer, and the fact he’s now playing alongside one of his best friends in Lukaku will certainly aid club morale.
It’s still early days but it seems that Mourinho has assembled a talented and optimistic side, the latter of which is crucial if he’s to avoid the sort of issues that occurred during his final season at Stamford Bridge where he seemed to lose the dressing room.
By having players that are close friends off the field like Lukaku and Pogba, it means the atmosphere in the dressing room will be much more solid and stable ahead of the challenges that await throughout the remainder of the campaign.
Manchester United will be expected to ease past Swansea City this weekend and shouldn’t face too many problems until they play Everton in mid-September, although their biggest test will come against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool a month later.
You’d expect Manchester United to perform against both Merseyside opponents though so the early signs at the club are certainly positive, ahead of what fans will be hoping will be a successful campaign both domestically and in Europe.