Manchester United vs. Southampton: Opposition threat

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku, the first obvious threat, has lead the United frontline almost single-handedly this season until the re-introduction of Swedish talisman and Southampton heartbreaker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in November. The Belgian striker has done a decent job, repaying Jose Mourinho’s faith and the initial £75 million transfer fee with a return of ten goals and four assists in the league.

His threat to Southampton is obvious, with a combination of his aerial prowess and our incapability to defend balls into the box, it’s very likely that Lukaku will get a chance to test Fraser Forster (much like Harry Kane, Laurent Depoitre and Olivier Giroud in recent weeks).

Lukaku will have no shortage of quality service either – with Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and the in-form Ashley Young likely to supply delectable deliveries for a large spell of the game, especially with the deep line Saints often deploy against top sides.

Southampton will need someone to man-mark Lukaku out of the game – something they failed to do against Harry Kane, as he scored an effortless hat-trick. His opener was a prime example of what the ex-Everton man could do if left unmarked, with a quality delivery leaving him little to do.