A season on, has Romelu Lukaku justified the fee Everton paid for...

A season on, has Romelu Lukaku justified the fee Everton paid for him? [VIDEO]

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The Belgian has been underwhelming since permanently arriving at Goodison Park, so it has to be asked – has he repaid the club’s faith? 

Ever since bursting onto the scene with RSC Anderlecht as a 17-year-old, Romelu Lukaku has carried with him the mantle of being one of football’s brightest young prospects.

Twenty goals in the 2011-12 season saw Lukaku net 20 times for the Belgian side in all competitions, earning him a £10 million move to Chelsea, with that sum rising to almost £17 million after add-ons.

Of course, the time at Stamford Bridge did not quite work out, as Lukaku found himself repeatedly loaned out, first to West Bromwich Albion and then Everton, the latter move setting the centre-forward up for a permanent switch to Merseyside.

That campaign, something of a revolutionary one for the Toffees, heralded 15 goals for Lukaku in 31 league appearances, leaving many a fan yearning for a permanent stay. Those fans got their wish, and Lukaku signed a bumper five-year deal for a transfer fee of £28 million, a move that was described by Roberto Martinez as “a real football statement”.

Clearly, such a big price tag is going to leave a great burden of expectation on a player’s shoulders; even more so when said player is a club’s record signing.

Maybe that expectation has had an effect on Lukaku this season.

The now-21-year-old, who turns 22 in a week’s time, has scored only nine league goals this go around – of which two have been penalties, but given Everton’s woes from the spot this season, those should count for something.

So has Lukaku delivered on his large price tag based on this season alone? Well, probably not.

Everton paid a healthy sum to acquire his services, but thus far the goals have not really flowed.

Admittedly, Lukaku is not the only Everton player who has been disappointing this season. Ross Barkley, Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman, just to name a few, have all under performed. In turn, the blame cannot be laid squarely at the feet of the Belgian though. The quality service that was on show last season all but evaporated at the worst of times this campaign.

As well as enduring a goal drought, he has been called lazy and his hold-up play has been seriously questioned, with ‘special comments’ pundits in particular failing to spare him from the heat. Truth be told, both these points have some merit to a degree.

Lukaku’s pressure out of possession is questionable at times, and that was exposed in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa. Lukaku allowed Villa defender Ron Vlaar an uncontested leap at what should have been a disputed ball, and as a result, the Villains scored a brilliant goal from the ensuing play, finished by rumoured Everton target, Tom Cleverley.

More importantly, however, as a true centre-forward, Lukaku’s hold-up play needs to be as good as it can be, but often this season it has left a lot to be desired. Admittedly, that aspect of his game has improved somewhat throughout the season, but there remains room for improvement.

Lukaku has notched up four assists though, and has created 27 additional chances, so it goes without saying that this should be given some praise.

To the striker’s credit, he admitted that his and the Toffees’ struggles this season have taught him a lot.

“Maybe it was the season that I needed – to feel how it is to be the main man and things like that,” Lukaku told Everton’s official website in March.

“It has taught me a lot, especially mentally.”

“Personally I don’t let my head go down, I just keep working hard.”

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It is easy to forget, however, that he is still just 21 and will only get better and will mature; after all, that is one of the reasons he chose to sign for Everton.

A bit of patience needs to be shown here. The bar was set high after Lukaku’s loan stint, but he is still a work in progress, despite the general feeling that he has been around for years.

Perhaps it was the season Lukaku needed. Perhaps he is still yet to fully transition from a bright youngster to man, so to speak.

Again, though, time is on his side.

With this season a write-off, the 2015-16 campaign will tell us a lot about whether Lukaku has truly taken lessons from this tumultuous period, and whether he has matured, whether he can deal with the expectation thrust upon him.

Who knows, by the end of next season, the £28 million could seem like peanuts.

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