Man Utd Striker Romelu Lukaku Admits He's 'Not the Finished Article' in Response to Heckling Fans

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has hit back at critics and disgruntled fans after a recent scoring drought, explaining that he cannot yet be judged as 'the finished article' while he is still finding his way and developing.

Signed for £75m, rising to £90m, during the summer, Lukaku started the season in fine goalscoring form after netting 11 times in his first 10 games in all competitions. He hasn't scored since 30th September - a run of six games - and the critics are getting louder.

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Manager Jose Mourinho even felt the need to recently step in and publicly defend the Belgian international after audible heckling from his own fans.

"I think a lot of people are judging me as the finished article," Lukaku has offered as a response in an interview with Sky Sports.

"I'm 24 - you can't judge me as the finished article. I'd rather have a year where I improve, improve, improve rather than going straight to the top and then declining," he added.

"I know I have a lot of talent. I can do a lot of stuff, score goals with my left, right and head. But I want to be a creator - I want to have more assists. I want to make sure when my team is having difficulties they can count on me.

"I'm on the perfect stage and the perfect age. I want to be a winner and take my career to the next level."

Lukaku will have the perfect opportunity to answer his critics this weekend when he faces former club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A win for United could see them put seven points between themselves and the reigning champions in the Premier League table.