Romelu Lukaku Must Maintain Form to Repay Everton Fans After Europa Hat-Trick

It had been some time coming this season, but Romelu Lukaku finally clicked into gear for Everton on Thursday night.

The former Chelsea striker hit a hat-trick for the Goodison Park club in a 4-1 victory over Young Boys in the Europa League round-of-32 first-leg tie in Berne, Switzerland.

Seamus Coleman was the other goalscorer for the Premier League side as they came from a goal down to trounce their Swiss opponents.

The result should make the second leg a formality for the Toffees when they host Young Boys next week, but it was the name of Lukaku which shone brightest.

But his treble was the least Everton supporters could expect after a controversial interview the Belgium international conducted recently.

After the defeat at his former club Chelsea last week, Lukaku was quoted in an article with The Sun as saying (via Sky Sports):

"

It was brilliant to play at Chelsea and I had a good reception.

They know I’m a good player but that I want to develop so I can eventually get back to playing for a club like Chelsea.

I don’t have a secret ambition to rejoin—there are other clubs in the world. I just want to grow as a player and eventually arrive at a top club again.

"

Those words were not greeted with pleasure across the Blue half of Merseyside.

Lukaku's comments were, in diplomatic terms, misguided, while more vociferous Everton supporters were clear in their condemnation of the forward.

What the forward missed with his comments was the fact he is already at a big club in the English top flight, one which took him from the fringes of the Chelsea first team to the pivotal point in a Premier League XI.

And both Lukaku and Everton proved last season they have the potential to build a great team once more.

Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images

During his year-long loan spell at Goodison Park last season, the 21-year-old was an instant hit with Everton supporters as his 15 league goals helped Roberto Martinez and his team threaten the top four until the final weeks of the campaign.

This term has been different, however, with Lukaku and his team-mates failing to find the form of last term.

The Belgian has suffered as a consequence, and Bleacher Report columnist Stan Collymore is backing the striker to turn around his form at the club, saying:

"

Most Evertonians will be patient with him (Lukaku) and he will stay at the club. It was just a bit of petulant frustration and that comes with young people in general.

He will be a resounding success. Everton is the right club for him and he is the right man for Everton. I don't think he should be looking elsewhere to play.

"

Much had been expected of Lukaku after the Merseysiders shelled out a club-record fee of £28 million to secure his services from Chelsea on a permanent basis in the summer.

That has not come to fruition so far, but the young striker can help his cause with an improvement in his first touch and create a greater physical threat inside opponents' penalty areas.

As a starting point for redemption, a treble in a potentially awkward away game in Europe is not a bad start.

But Lukaku has now set himself a standard by which he will continue to be measured for the remainder of the season, starting with the visit of Leicester City on Sunday.