Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, Manchester United have not exactly had the fortune they might have expected. The 13th and final Premier League title their legendary manager won has turned out to be their last, and since then the Red Devils have won just six trophies.
They have been all over the place in the transfer market, too, and under the ownership of the Glazer family, have been wayward with their signings without Ferguson at the helm. The 2024 summer is the first time in years they have had a sensible footballing structure, thanks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new minority stake in the club.
However, the Red Devils have made some transfer decisions that have paid off in recent years, and the sale of Romelu Lukaku is certainly one of those.
Lukaku’s time at Man United
Belgian striker Lukaku had a mixed time of things at Old Trafford. Given the fee they paid for him, which was an initial £75m from fellow Premier League side Everton, he did not live up to expectations in that famous red shirt.
Yet, his numbers, on the face of things, were not too bad. He played 96 games for the 13-time Premier League champions, finding the back of the net 42 times and grabbing 22 assists along the way, certainly respectable numbers.
The former Chelsea striker scored some crucial goals during his time in Manchester, too. He got a brace away to Paris Saint-Germain on that famous night in the French capital for United, and scored against Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup, although that proved to be a losing cause.
Frustratingly for Belgium’s all-time top goalscorer, he did not manage to get his hands on any silverware during his time at the club. The closest the Red Devils got during his two years at Old Trafford was the Super Cup defeat against Los Blancos and runners-up in the 2017/18 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The Red Devils, then managed by legendary figure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, decided to sell Lukaku for almost exactly what they paid for him, £74m, to Italian giants Inter, and it has proven to be a good decision in the long run.
Lukaku’s value in 2024
Since leaving Old Trafford back in August 2019, the Belgian has become something of a journeyman. His first spell at Inter was a huge success after they paid a club-record fee to acquire his services. He scored 47 Serie A goals in 72 games for the club, before returning to England, and Chelsea.
Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge was a disaster, and he stayed just one season before returning to the San Siro and Inter on loan. After playing in the Champions League final for I Nerazzurri, he did not return to the club and was instead loaned out to Roma, playing under Jose Mourinho once more.
Lukaku now finds himself at Napoli, a club he joined on a permanent deal for £30m. So far, the Belgian has enjoyed a successful time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The Napoli number 11, who was described as a “flat-track bully” by football presenter Dougie Critchley, already has three goals and two assists in just four appearances for the Italian outfit.
His value since leaving Old Trafford has fluctuated greatly, according to Transfermarkt, the striker now finds himself valued at £25m, a whopping £49m less than what they sold him for, suggesting it was a smart move from the Red Devils to cash in on him when they did.
|
Lukaku highest and lowest values per club since leaving Man United |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Highest value |
Lowest value |
|
Inter |
£83.5m (May 2021) |
£56.8m (April 2020) |
|
Chelsea |
£83.5m (December 2021) |
£58.4m (June 2022) |
|
Inter |
£45.9m (November 2022) |
£33.4m (June 2023) |
|
Roma |
£29.2m (December 2023) |
£25m (June 2024) |
|
Napoli |
£25m (September 2024) |
N/A |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
||
It perhaps comes down to personal opinion regarding Lukaku’s time for the Red Devils, and whether or not it was a success. Regardless, given the fact they recouped much of the original transfer fee, and his value has now decreased so much, it was arguably a wise decision from United to sell their former striker when they did.
