When asked who he considered Everton’s first-choice penalty taker, Baines replied: “Rom.
“When Rom signed permanently I said then, if he wanted them, ‘no problem’.
“It was just about getting him scoring when we re-signed him.
“So I said ‘whenever you’re ready, just tell me’ because, again, I’m thinking of him as a player.
Romelu Lukaku scores his second penalty of the week ... after asking Leighton Baines for permission!
“Strikers live off goals and look at their records and if he’s scoring penalties, and his record is looking good, then his confidence is good and you’ll probably get other goals on the back of that.
“It can work the other way if they don’t go in, but if he gets the goals through that and the confidence...
“If he scores a penalty after 20 minutes, then he’s up and you might get other goals from that.”
Baines added: “So it’s partly that and, from the club’s point of view, he’s an asset.
“We’ve paid a lot of money for him, he’s a young striker who is going to be judged on his goals, not your left-back.