Roberto Martinez told ESPN about how the ‘exceptional’ Romelu Lukaku has changed since his Everton days.
The Belgium boss was in the Everton dugout when the Toffees signed Lukaku as a teenager and he has since gone on to work with him on the international stage.
There’s no doubt that Lukaku is one of the most feared and consistent performers in world football, right now.
Many were expecting big things of the 28-year-old when Everton sold him to Manchester United in 2017, but whilst he scored goals, question marks were asked about his overall play.
In the end, he made, from Martinez’s perspective, the ‘perfect’ move to Inter, where he won the Serie A title last season.
“The number of goals he has with every team that he has been is exceptional,” said Martinez. “What we are talking about now is a different player.
“Now, we are talking about a player, on top of his individual talent, has got a degree of maturity.
“Of course, I know him well because I signed him for Everton at the age of 19. But now he’s a completely different human being and footballer that he can affect others.
“You can almost base different ways of pressing, different ways of playing and he will execute them with a lot of infectious make-up – I think that’s developed Romelu that he’s, for me, the best in his career.”
Lukaku is also currently proving to be one of the stars at Euro 2020, with the left-footed powerhouse scoring three goals, so far.
With a number of Premier League clubs, mainly those at the top, searching for a number nine this summer, it will be interesting to see if they push towards Lukaku’s talents.
Whilst Harry Kane and Erling Haaland get a lot of the limelight, there’s no doubt that Lukaku is on their wavelength and he needs more respect put on his name.
Of course, if he does the business for Belgium at Euro 2020 this summer then he will answer a lot of critics.
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