Romelu Lukaku on course for best goalscoring first season at Manchester United... and he could overhaul Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney soon

  • Romelu Lukaku has scored seven goals in his seven Premier League matches
  • That means the Belgian is posting a record of a goal per game for his new side
  • The best record per match in his debut season at United is Ruud van Nistelrooy
  • Lukaku is on the cusp of overhauling Eric Cantona, who scored nine in 1992-93 

Romelu Lukaku is on course to have the best start to life of any Manchester United striker in the Premier League era.

The Belgium international has managed to score seven goals in seven Premier League games since making his £75million transfer to Old Trafford from Everton in the summer.

And if he continues that stunning record, he will top any figures posted by a United striker in their debut campaign.

Romelu Lukaku is on course to be the best goalscorer in a Manchester United debut season

Romelu Lukaku is on course to be the best goalscorer in a Manchester United debut season

Ruud van Nistelrooy currently has the best strike rate per match in a debut United campaign

Ruud van Nistelrooy currently has the best strike rate per match in a debut United campaign

The 24-year-old has a ratio of one goal per game, which has already allowed him to surpass current team-mates Ashley Young and Juan Mata in their debut seasons, according to research by Grosvenor Casinos.


Robin van Persie is the record holder in a debut season, having scored 26 goals at a rate of 0.68 per match.

He is closely followed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who bagged 23 at 0.72 per match in the 2001-02 season - which is the best game-by-game record in United's Premier League history.

Robin van Persie, with 26 goals in 2012-13, has the best record over a debut campaign

Robin van Persie, with 26 goals in 2012-13, has the best record over a debut campaign

Lukaku is only two goals behind Eric Cantona, who got nine in the 1992-93 season for United

Lukaku is only two goals behind Eric Cantona, who got nine in the 1992-93 season for United

But Lukaku, admittedly with a small sample size to his name, would be able to blitz past those records if he kept up his current rate. He is on course to finish the season with 38 goals.

Even if he cannot keep up that record, it would not be a shock to see Lukaku shortly overhaul Eric Cantona, Teddy Sheringham and Dimitar Berbatov, who all scored nine in their debut seasons.

Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial are also already within his sights. Neither player scored more than 0.40 per game for United in their first season. They each bagged 11, just four more than Lukaku already has.

United will be hoping Lukaku can be at his goalscoring best when they take on Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.