MX23RW : Sunday, February 2 19:10:02| >> :120:3614:3614:

Phil Jagielka: 'I try to avoid Romelu Lukaku in training'

Phil Jagielka says that he tries to avoid playing against Romelu Lukaku during training at Everton.

Everton captain Phil Jagielka has heaped praise on new recruit Romelu Lukaku for his instant impact at the club.

The Belgian, who joined the Toffees on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day from Chelsea, has scored three times for the club in his first two appearances to help the Merseysiders climb to fourth in the Premier League table.

Lukaku netted a brace and bagged an assist as Everton edged out Newcastle United 3-2 on Monday night, and Jagielka admits that he doesn't envy defenders who come up against him.

"He's a fantastic acquisition for us," Jagielka told Sky Sports News. "He's a great player and has probably taken us up to that next level.

"If he can keep himself fit and keep himself confident, he could be great for us. He has all the attributes and he loves playing football, and if you put it all together, then it can lead to some interesting days on the training pitch for us defenders.

"He's a real presence up front. Obviously he wasn't quite getting the nod at Chelsea and that's made him even hungrier than he was last season [when the Londoners loaned him to West Brom]. He's definitely a handful, I try to stay away from him in training, to be honest!"

West Brom host Arsenal at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

ID:108573: cacheID:108573:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2286:
Written by
Matt Cotton
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Everton's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Newcastle during their Premier League match on September 30, 2013
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Everton 3-2 Newcastle - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!