Europa League: Everton Boss Martinez Stresses Romelu Lukaku's Importance After Advancing To KO Stages

Everton boss Roberto Martinez could not stress enough how important striker Romelu Lukaku is to his squad, after the Toffees advanced to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

The imposing six-foot-three Belgian has yet to come up with a statement game this season, but has a decent tally of 6 goals and 2 assists in all competitions. Nevertheless, he was significantly responsible for the Merseyside outfit's 2-nil victory against Wolfsburg last Friday (AEST), netting the opener while setting up Kevin Mirallas for the second.

"Rom has had, in my eyes, a very good start to the season," said Martinez.

"Maybe he has not grabbed the headlines from the outside but we know how important he is for us.

"You look at his game and he becomes a focal point in everything we want to do. You don't get many strikers who are so strong and good at running with the ball with that power, pace and clinical finishing."

"Then his hold-up play is exceptional, and at the age of 21 he is a young man with his future in front of him. We value Rom immensely. We have been getting on with our season on the quiet and I think Rom has been exactly the same."

Everton are currently at ninth place, but the former Wigan Athletic manager believes that his charges are capable of coming up with a great turnaround in January.

"We are building something special going into the second half of the season. That is our objective," he added.

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