“I had that motivation to be a professional footballer and as soon as he noticed that he changed. Then he was more encouraging, challenging and I realised that every time we would do analysis of my game I would always know what he was going to say. By the age of 15 I was tactically very strong.

“When we had to go and meet the coach of my age group at the academy I would always say what the coach was going to say about me. I would be able to self-analyse. The coaches knew that I was mentally-ready for it. When I do something on the pitch as soon as I come off the pitch I know every single action from minute one to 90.”

Lukaku says he is alway “taking pictures in his head. “When I am in a certain position on the pitch I always take a picture of the goal and how the defenders are positioned and that’s when I know what I am going to do,” he explains.

“You need to have that awareness because awareness is the most important thing in football.”

Awareness and self-awareness: Lukaku has had two huge moves – from Anderlecht to Chelsea for £18million when he was just 18 and from Chelsea to Everton, via a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, Saturday’s Premier League opponents at Goodison Park, a fixture which has been dedicated as the club’s Kick It Out Match of Action, for £28million when was still just 20. He is used to scrutiny and, also, hard criticism.