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Romelu Lukaku doesn’t get the credit he deserves

David Nugent in Editorial, English Premier League 26 Feb 2017

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Romelu Lukaku is now Everton’s joint-record Premier League scorer with 60 goals

Everton and Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku is often criticised for being too vocal in the press about his football ambitions, mostly by myself and fellow Evertonian’s. However, the relatively young striker is starting to fulfil his immense potential.

On Saturday afternoon Lukaku scored his 60th Premier League goal for Everton in the Toffees 2-0 win over rock-bottom Sunderland.

The goal means that Lukaku is now the club’s joint-highest Premier League scorer alongside Toffees icon Duncan Ferguson.

The striker has scored his goals in just 129 appearances for the Toffees in the top-flight, despite the fact that his team have not always been in the best of shape. It is sometimes difficult to remember that the striker is still just 23-years of age.

Simply prolific in front of goal

Lukaku is now joint-top scorer in the Premier League on 17 goals alongside Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez. The Belgian forward is now just one short of his best Premier League tally of 18, which came last season.

In terms of goalscoring, Lukaku is outstanding. The Belgian striker has now got into double figures in terms of Premier League goals in the last five years. He is simply a goalscoring machine. Lukaku is big, strong and quick, ideal attributes for a striker in the top-flight.

Romelu Lukaku has in the past talked himself up. However, now hopefully he is letting his performances on the pitch do the talking.

Lukaku can get better

Everton fans and his current boss Ronald Koeman have often criticised Lukaku for his performances. It is not because he is not loved at the club, it’s because they feel that Lukaku could improve even further and become an even better player. That his decision-making can improve like any younger player.

At 23 years of age, he is still a young player. In fact, the Belgian international is still eligible to win the Young Player of the Year award in the Premier League. Lukaku is not perfect and certain aspects of his play can certainly improve.

His hold up play has improved a lot in the last couple years, as he has played more regular first team football in the English top-flight. In fact, his all round game has improved courtesy of playing so many games for the Toffees.

Lukaku is Everton’s standout player, their main man. No doubt about that, so there is big expectations of him every time the striker takes to the pitch. In recent weeks Lukaku has lived up to those expectations.

He will go on to bigger things

Romelu Lukaku is likely to go on to bigger things than just equalling Everton’s Premier League goalscoring record. Evertonian’s will be hoping that the striker goes on to bigger things with Everton. The Merseyside club are now highly ambitious.

Romelu Lukaku has talked about playing at the highest level of football in the near future. There seems to be consistently sound bites about the striker wanting to play in the Champions League. Despite some very good form of late, Everton look unlikely to claim a top four spot this season.

There has been talk of Lukaku signing a new deal and there seems to have been less talk of the striker leaving Merseyside in recent months. A few clubs have been linked with moves for Lukaku, particularly former club Chelsea.

Whether Lukaku’s long-term future lies at Everton, the striker will no doubt continue to score goals wherever he is next season. The Belgian striker is currently odds of 7/2 to win the Golden Boot award this season.

It would be a great achievement for a striker of his age and considering his competition in the English top-flight. He is regarded as one of Europe’s best up and coming strikers and has the potential to become an even better player in the future.

For all his potential, though, Romelu Lukaku maybe does not get the credit he deserves. Maybe that is why the striker feels like he has to move to a higher-profile club.

However, if he stays at Everton then no doubt he will become a club legend. In the process, he may well just help the club from Merseyside rediscover their glory days.

Does Romelu Lukaku get the credit he deserves?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Nugent


David is a freelance football writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about the beautiful game. The experienced writer has written for over a dozen websites and also an international soccer magazine offline.
Arguably his best work has come as an editorial writer for Soccernews, sharing his good, bad and ugly opinions on the world’s favourite sport. During David’s writing career he has written editorials, betting previews, match previews, banter, news and opinion pieces.

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