Leicester City vs Everton at the King Power Stadium in the FA Premier League. Romelu Lukaku back in an Everton shirt.
Roberto Martinez says injury to Ross Barkley forced him to hand a starting place to club record signing Romelu Lukaku sooner than planned.
The Belgium striker only returned to pre-season training earlier this month after he was given an extended break following his World Cup exploits.
Lukaku was only expected to start the weekend’s Premier League opener against Leicester City on the bench but Martinez needed the £28m forward to lead the line at the King Power Stadium after Barkley sustained knee ligament damage.
Twenty-one-year-old Lukaku had not started a game since June 22 when Belgium kicked-off their World Cup campaign with a win over Russia and he struggled to make an impact against the league newboys.
But Martinez was delighted the former Chelsea man was able to get 90 minutes under his belt and praised the way he stepped into the breach.
“Ross reacted really well to the work this week and I didn’t expect him to be so fit, so quickly,” said Martinez.
“We played a game behind closed doors and he managed to play a very good level for 45 minutes.
“And so the injury to him meant we needed Rom to take more responsibility in that attacking role and to be fair, I could not be prouder of his efforts and the way he stayed on the pitch for 90 minutes.
“He wasn’t a risk at all, it was well controlled and he is going to get a lot of benefits for that.”
Martinez added: “If it had been another type of game then he maybe would not have lasted the 90 minutes.
“But the tempo was so low, it was a great opportunity for him to get 90 minutes.
“If the game had been more open, energetic and dynamic then 60 minutes would’ve been all he could’ve coped with but the tempo was so low it suited him to be there for 90 minutes.
“You saw that he is enjoying every ball and he feels really wanted at the club.
“Sometimes when you pay a record fee for someone coming in it brings massive pressure, expectations and you don’t know how he is going to adapt, but he is the opposite.
“We know Rom inside and out, the fans know Rom inside and out and know what to expect. He knows what to expect and the fee just shows how much we love him.”
Although Martinez admitted that having Lukaku as Everton’s only fit striker leaves him short of options, he reiterated his intention to give Arouna Kone the chance to prove himself at Goodison Park.
“We have got Arouna Kone who is fighting to get back to fitness,” he said.
“When he is not fit we are a little bit short but at the same time we want to give him his role and want Arouna to have a big role with us, so we need to measure it properly.”
