Now’s the time for Lukaku to establish himself as an Everton legend

Romelu Lukaku is in the form of his life right now. He’s already netted 21 Premier League goals this season and is well on course to win his first Golden Boot award.

But we believe there’s still room for improvement in the 23-year-old’s game.

He’s attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in world football and reportedly has a £70m price tag on his head. And if the Belgium international were to leave Goodison Park in the summer, then what better way to bow out than with a stellar performance against the Toffees’ bitter rivals Liverpool?

The only problem is that this brings us back to perhaps one of the only criticisms of Lukaku. These are the kind of games in which the big man generally struggles.

Yes, his goalscoring record on the whole is impressive, and no, not many players have been able to register so many strikes at such a young age.

But only 14 of his 81 Premier League goals have come against the big six – with just four of those coming in the last three seasons.

And his nine strikes for Everton against the biggest clubs in the division have won the Toffees just three points in four years.

However, he has managed to score five against the Reds while playing for West Bromwich Albion and Everton, although he’s yet to find the net for his current club at Anfield.

It’s Romelu’s time to shine on the big stage

Time is most definitely on his side right now, and the way in which Lukaku has progressed and developed over the last few years suggests this is a part of his game he’ll undoubtedly rectify in the near future.

There won’t be a better time for that to happen than Saturday afternoon at Anfield.

To say Everton have struggled here in recent years would be a huge understatement.

To put things into context, the last time the Toffees ran out winners over in the red half of the city, Lukaku was six-years-old.

Everything points towards a Liverpool win at Anfield this weekend. And although the Belgian is just 13/8 to net at any time, history shows that’ll be unlikely.

So can he go out and prove the statistics wrong by scoring in a win for the visitors?

Doing so would ensure his status as a true Everton legend, regardless of whether or not he stays on after the summer.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing