Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has said that his goalscoring record should be given more respect after he scored in United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
Lukaku has now scored 22 goals in 40 games this season for Jose Mourinho’s side but he has been criticised throughout his career for failing to perform against top six opposition in the Premier League.
The Belgian striker had not scored a goal against Chelsea in the Premier Legue heading into Sunday’s match at Old Trafford, however, after Willian opened the scoring for the visitors, Lukaku pulled one back against his former side and then assisted Jesse Lingaard for what would be the match winner in the 75th minute.
“I just need to keep working hard,” said Lukaku.
“I’ve scored a lot this season and I just want to keep going.
“I know that I can improve, and I want to improve and really work hard. I want to win trophies. We are still in the fight in two competitions. It’s not going to be easy but it’s a nice challenge.”
Lukaku also pointed to his track record in Europe throughout his career and added that he has been scoring consistently for the last decade.
“Yeah, because I’ve been in the game for so long.
“I started playing when I was 16. Year in, year out people expect 20 goals from me. I’ve been doing it for 10 years straight, so I think I’ve proved myself.
“You expect a bit more respect but it’s the situation we’re in. I don’t listen to it. I just want to improve and show the people what I can do on the pitch.”
After United’s 0-0 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League last week, where Lukaku had 38 touches in the match and lost the ball 18 times, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand added that he needs to produce more in the big games.
“It is so frustrating. He has all the tools and everything to scare a defender, he is big, strong, quick,” Ferdinand said.
“He has scored a lot of goals but the big games, big nights, big moments, he needs to produce. [He had] 38 touches and 18 times he gave it away and if you are trying to produce a counter-attacking performance the ball has to stick. With Lukaku in the team at the moment, the ball doesn’t stick so the counter-attack doesn’t happen.”
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