Jose Mourinho Claims Lack of Options Means He'll Stick With Romelu Lukaku Against Everton

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he will continue selecting Romelu Lukaku as his main striker despite his recent struggles in front of goal.

The 25-year-old has gone eight games without a goal in all competitions for United, with his last coming in a 2-1 win against Watford in mid-September, leading to calls for Lukaku to be dropped from the starting lineup. 

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However, Mourinho insisted he'll stand by the Belgium international for the game against his former club at Old Trafford, claiming he doesn't have the resources to do anything different but play him.

Quoted by The Sun, he said: "In this moment we’re not in the best situation to think about resting players or finding solutions. The solution now is to play with the players we have.

"I don’t think our coach Michael Carrick can play as a striker, so I could not give Lukaku a break against Juventus. Or we decide to give a rest to Lukaku, who plays as a striker then...Marcus Rashford? And who plays as a winger?”

United are currently tenth in the Premier League, one point behind weekend opponents Everton after suffering a difficult start to the season, and have only one win from their last four games in the league.

While Lukaku himself has come in for criticism for his performances, Mourinho has defended the forward as he currently endures a difficult spell in his career.

Asked about Lukaku, as quoted by the Daily Star, he replied: "No criticism at all, a complete understanding the player is a fantastic pro that wants to give everything.

"But I have to agree his moment is not sweet, not just with the goals he is not scoring but in his confidence, movement, touch, he is not linking the game well with the team. But he’s our striker and he’s a good striker and a striker we believe in."