I'll play Devil's advocate and look at it from Lukaku's point of view.
He says he's ready for the "next level".
He's not. His showing against a "next level" defence in the Italy game showed that.
If he wants to compete at the highest level of football, he needs to improve the following attributes:
1. His touch, specifically first touch but he can lose the ball with subsequent touches.
2. His heading. For a lad of his size, he doesn't win enough headers and even when he does head the ball, he rarely does it with intent and conviction.
3. Long range shooting. He doesn't hit the target often enough when he shoots from outside the box.
4. His reading of the game. The best players always have a picture in their mind of the scene and know what is going to happen next. He is too reactive still. his runs are always where HE wants the ball to be played regardless of whether his tam mate can play the ball. What he should be doing is running to where the ball can be played. How many opportunities passed him by when Del played the ball across the goal with no-one to finish them off because he was stood on the penalty spot expecting the ball to be played where HE was rather than looking to see where the ball could be played to?
Many of his goals came when the two things combined - his team mate was able to play it where he wanted. When this happens, he is deadly.
If he had the above attributes, he could easily have scored 35+ goals last season and have been worthy of the "next level" but he didn't.
If anyone thinks I'm being over-critical of the lad, let's compare him with his idol, Didier Drogba who was a world class talent. He had all of the above and more so until he pays to those standards then he is better off learning his trade here and taking himself and his team to that level.
In fact none of our players showed they are capable or deserve top level football yet.
Now, perhaps a major contribution could have been fitness and RM had a part to play in that. Tiredness affects everything about performance, especially touch and game reading so superior fitness might help fix a few issues quite quickly.
However, a top level Champions League player has to play at a very high standard (7/10 minimum per game) twice a week for at least 40 out of 50 games each season against the best performers in world football and he is nowhere near that yet.
Not to say that he won't be because I think he will become a top player as he has the desire and work ethic to do so.
I also think we have a manager that is capable of bringing out the best in Rom and he would be best served to stay, become the player he wants to be and hopefully win the accolades he always dreamed of.
If, on the other hand, what he meant by "next level" was not a mid-table team then perhaps Koeman should offer to sell him to Southampton.
Me? I hope he stays and wins every trophy available to a PL club.
Every. Single. One.
