Messi and Neymar inspiring Lukaku to silence the critics

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is confident he can continue to improve, and has set his sights on matching the level of Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Neymar.

The Belgium international, 22, sits second in the Premier League scoring charts with 16 goals.

Nevertheless, Lukaku is not resting on his laurels and has welcomed any criticism of his game, as he believes it will only inspire him to become one of the game’s great players.

“I would say people sometimes forget I am only seven months older than Ross [Barkley]. I am judged differently because I have had two big moves,” Lukaku told The Telegraph.

“But I can understand that, I can understand people’s expectations. If you look at my goalscoring record throughout my career then it is good. In fact it’s really good at the moment and especially for my age but I just know it’s part of the game.

“Players like Messi… look at Neymar. Neymar is not much older than me but he gets tonnes of criticism if he does not play well. So if one day I aspire to be like one of them then why should I complain now? Just take it.

“I want the critics to make me even tougher than I am now. The better you get, the more time you spend on your career. I am getting better as a player. I feel that. I am getting better at everything. Getting better with every game.

“There is still room for improvement because I am young and I know it’s not perfect. But I am getting where I want to be. At the moment I know I am really good. I know I am really good. But I want to be better. “