Koeman wants fans to support Lukaku

Everton manager Ronald Koeman insists the Toffees at Goodison Park should give star striker Romelu Lukaku their full support today as the Blues host Hull City.

The Belgian forward has been in the spotlight lately with the new contract shenanigans that he’s been embroiled in, and Koeman wants to ensure there’s no distractions for the player as Everton try to keep the pressure up on the top six teams.

"If the player shows his commitment in his football, then everybody can make mistakes. Then you realise it's no problem.

"But I think everybody needs to understand ambitions, and his situation I tried to explain -- he's a professional player and his commitment maybe looks different because of two or three quotes in the press but he is young and we can see these things."

The Dutchman also spoke about his side’s ambitions, saying that he felt it would take some time to get to the top-most echelons of the Premier League.

"If I look to this season so far, I think we can make the next step next season.

"If we can move on and get in what we want to make the team really strong, I think we can battle with them [the top four], yes.

"See the difference between this season and last season. That's the first step. We have the same points now than last season. Can we show more ambition, stronger team, more points? Everybody knows you can't do this in one year.

"It takes time. How long did it take for Tottenham to be where they are now? Three or four years. You can't do it one year."