Man Utd striker Romelu Lukaku: I’m a work in progress, not finished article

Romelu Lukaku insists his critics should not be judging him as the finished article.

Jose Mourinho hit out at Manchester United fans following last weekend’s Premier League victory over Tottenham for what he perceived as a lack of support for the striker. Signed from Everton in the summer for £75million, Lukaku scored 12 goals in his first 11 games but has not found the net in his last six outings.

But Lukaku believes he is still very much a work in progress and is determined to improve during his time at Old Trafford.

The Belgian told Sky Sports: “I’m just focused on improving year in, year out. That’s the most important thing. Every time I try to add something to my game that wasn’t there.

“I think a lot of people are judging me as the finished article. I’m 24. You can’t judge me as the finished article. I’d rather have a career where year after year I improve rather than going to the top and decline.”

He added: “I know I have a lot of talent, I know I can do a lot of stuff. I can score goals with my left, with my right, with the head but I want to be a creator, I want to have more assists, I want to make sure that when my team is in difficulties that they can count on me.

“I want to be a winner. It’s not about me as an individual, I want to win, and I think here I’m at the perfect stage and at the perfect age where I can take my career to the next level.”

United head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face reigning champions Chelsea looking to close the five-point gap to leaders Manchester City. It will be a return to familiar territory for Mourinho as well as midfielder Nemanja Matic, who left Chelsea to join United in the summer.

Mourinho admits he was surprised to be offered the chance to sign the midfielder, who has made an immediate impression at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese told Sky Sports News: “I was surprised when (Matic’s) agent called me to say, ‘Do you want him?’

“I was surprised, but he’s an agent I know well. Normally he’s very direct and objective, he doesn’t waste time, he doesn’t try to get people to be interested in his players to improve their situation at their club. “So when he told me, ‘You can have him if you want’, of course I want.”