Martinez urges Lukaku to be himself amid struggles

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has urged Romelu Lukaku to keep “being himself” and not try to change how he plays after running into a blip at Manchester United.

Lukaku initially enjoyed a seamless transition to life at United after a reported £75million move from Everton in pre-season, scoring 10 goals before the end of September.

However, he has not netted since, failing to score in each of his last seven matches across all competitions.

Martinez, who coached Lukaku at Everton, has absolutely no concerns about the striker’s mentality, though, and encouraged him to keep playing as he knows.

The Spaniard told reporters: “I’ve got a big advantage with Romelu because I’ve worked with him for four years.

“I know Romelu inside out. I think he just relishes the challenge. He’s been enjoying a really good start to the season and now is a period he is ready to cope with.

“I have no worries whatsoever. All he needs to do in his career is to carry on being himself in a club with the expectations and the demand of Manchester United.

“For me nothing has changed in Romelu’s mind. He is confident, he has an incredible belief in what he can bring.

“All I want is that he carries on seeing himself in that manner when he scores and when he doesn’t, which is going to be highlighted in a club like Manchester United.”