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| In-form Romelu Lukaku looks set to make his 100th appearance for Everton against Crystal Palace |
ROMELU LUKAKU will continue to take the strain for Everton as he prepares to make his 100th appearance for the club.
The Belgium striker reaches the milestone against Crystal Palace tonight having started every game this season and missed just 40 minutes of action.
Lukaku is in a rich vein of form having plundered 13 goals, including six in his last five matches, but it is his durability that is proving a major asset for Everton manager Roberto Martinez.
He was unable to complete 90-minutes when he joined Everton on loan in 2013-14 – having managed to last a full game just nine times during spells with Chelsea and West Brom.
But his output is remarkable and stands out when compared to the likes of Sergio Aguero and Daniel Sturridge, who are among the elite strikers he is seeking to join.
“Any player who can stay fit and reliable gives you an incredible base to work on,” said Martinez.
“In terms of Rom’s journey, I would say that’s happening now for the first time this year.
“At the start of last season, he was catching up after the World Cup. From January, he’s been the mature Rom who can play 90 minutes, and there’s everything that comes with that.”
Lukaku’s value to Everton more than justifies his £28m permanent move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2014, but Martinez has claimed they are not over-reliant on the forward.
The likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley have also made impressive contributions, while Everton have coped well in the absence of skipper Phil Jagielka who has a knee injury.
“I take your point about Rom and his importance, but, as a squad, you need to cope with injuries. You need to cope with suspensions,” he said.
“We have showed that to a very good degree as well. We showed we could lose up to five defenders from that back four and be able to keep a clean sheet and compete.
“We never said that today we couldn’t win because we had someone missing. That’s a good sign of a team.
“Rom is in a great moment of form. Gerard is in a great moment of form. Ross is in a great moment of form. But you feel that we’ve got a very good group of experienced players who at the moment are not playing a big role, and they’re ready to play that big role.
“It’s not the case that our squad is 11 plus three or four young players waiting to help. We’ve got Steven Naismith, Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon, Aiden McGeady, Darron Gibson, Mo Besic.
“You’re talking about players who are desperate to have a big role. So I’m delighted with the squad that we have.”
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