Koeman still amazed by Everton’s wantaway striker

Rumours of Romelu Lukaku’s impending departure from Goodison Park refuse to go away, but that is not stopping Everton manager Ronald Koeman from piling the praise on his prized asset.

The 23-year-old Belgian scored for the eighth straight home match on Saturday against Burnley, showing both his power and composure to turn and finish in a 3-1 victory.

That equalled a record set by club legend Dixie Dean in 1934, and Lukaku’s run stretches back to January 2 when Everton beat Southampton 3-0 at Goodison Park.

He will look to break the 83-year-old record when the Toffees host Chelsea – one of the several clubs rumoured to be after his signature for next season – in a fortnight’s time.

But with Lukaku still four goals ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot award, Everton boss Koeman cannot hide his admiration of the striker’s ability.

“He’s amazing,” he said. “He’s working hard and will always get chances to score.

“Burnley defended well against Rom but in one split-second, he got some space and showed that he is a great finisher.

“The goal now is to give some competition to the teams around us. We have the same points as Manchester United and we have three more points than Arsenal.

“The realistic situation [becomes clear] when we play the same amount of games but we know that if we finish the season strong, then everything is possible.”