Friday, 1st August, 2014
Everton boss Roberto Martinez feels the club’s record signing Romelu Lukaku’s best years are still ahead of him.
The Belgian international, who spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Goodison Park, made his switch from Chelsea permanent on Wednesday, following a £28m transfer.
And Martinez backed Lukaku to only get better as he feels the 21-year-old’s experience of playing at the 2014 World Cup will make the striker an improved player.
The Spaniard further added that Lukaku, who scored once in four games at the showpiece event in Brazil, is desperate to achieve success, a quality which made him a hit with the Toffees during his loan stay at the club.
“As a player, you always getter better from the experiences you enjoy and it doesn’t get much bigger than playing at a World Cup”, Martinez told his club’s official site.
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“He’s desperate to be successful, desperate to achieve things. That side of his character and personality is infectious – that’s why he was such a big hit with everyone at our club.
“He is only 21 but he has got a very strong presence. He has scored over 30 goals in the Premier League and won over 30 caps for Belgium – he is one of the most gifted young footballers around the world.
“We feel that Rom hasn’t reached his full potential yet – but it is fair to say that potentially he has got everything that a striker could need to become a very special player.
“He has already scored 16 for us [last season] and 17 at a previous club [West Bromwich Albion], so that’s something we want to improve.
“He wants to get better and has got an incredible approach to daily training, so I'm sure he will."
Lukaku, who has 33 caps and 10 goals for Belgium to his name, signed a five-year deal with Everton which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2019.
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