Romelu Lukaku's recent performances have come under scrutiny with the Belgian scoring his last Premier League goal last month. After a particularly poor display in the Manchester derby, the striker may be starting to look like a waste of money.
That is what former Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer said after United's 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Lukaku has scored eight league goals for the Red Devils, but the majority of them came between August and October.
"No one was asking these questions earlier on in the season," Shearer told BBC's 'Match of the Day 2'. "When Lukaku was scoring 11 goals in his first 10 games. No one was asking the question of Mourinho then and whether he had improved Lukaku."
Lukaku was to blame in the build-up to both of City's goals and he was also wasteful in front of goal. Patience is starting to run out at Old Trafford.
"He's not doing enough in games, and I hate saying it, to justify his fee," Shearer added. "He looks to be lacking in confidence, two in 13 now but in his defence with some of the balls and some of the service he was feeding on scraps. Everything seems a second or two too slow and by the time he's made his mind up it's gone."
"From a centre forward's point of view that's what makes the difference between the very good strikers and the good strikers," Shearer said of Lukaku, who was denied by Ederson from close range. "You get one chance like that and it has to be in the back of the net."
"His mindset now, I know mine, if i'd missed a chance like that I wouldn't sleep for the next three or four days until the next game or until i'd scored again. That missed chance would be on my mind until then."