LU CUP FOR IT
Hitman’s trophy mission
ROMELU LUKAKU knows he won’t get the respect he thinks he deserves until he leads Manchester United to silverware.
The United striker fired in his first goal against a top-six side for United as he helped them come from behind to beat Chelsea on Sunday.
The £90m striker also provided the assist for Jesse Lingard’s winner in one of his best displays for Jose Mourinho’s men since joining from Everton in the summer.
The 24-year-old’s strike was his 22nd of the season but the Belgium hitman knows only trophies will silence his doubters.
Asked what he needs to do to get more credit, Lukaku said: “If I win.
“As long as I win and I lead my team to winning, that’s when I will be really satisfied.
“As a footballer, I don’t play for the individual. I think a lot of big players we recognise today in the game are players who have won something and I want to be part of them.
“The road is still far ahead, but I’m ambitious and I’ll work every day for my team to win. I’m not thinking ® about myself. 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.
Satisfied
“I’m 24 and I think I have a lot of years ahead of me to improve before my prime. I’m never satisfied. I always want to improve and get better.” One of the criticisms thrown at Lukaku this season is his failure to perform in the big games. “That’s the situation around me,” he said. “I just need to keep working hard. I think I have got a nice record. I’ve scored a lot this season and 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.”