Everton defender Sylvain Distin believes Romelu Lukaku is a more powerful player than Didier Drogba - and less of a cheat, too.
Lukaku, who has drawn comparisons to his one-time mentor Drogba ever since he burst onto the scene with Anderlecht in 2009, dives less than the Chelsea legend, according to Distin.
“He might like Drogba a lot as a player, but I think Rom’s very different,” Distin told the Liverpool Echo following Everton's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday. “He’s a lot more powerful. Drogba was a mix of strength and, I have to say, cheating.
“He liked to come strong at you and then when you did it to him he was on the floor. Rom is 100 per cent. If you go shoulder to shoulder with him he’s not going to stop. He’ll just carry on.
“Drogba was canny about when to fall but if Rom can be as good as him in other ways then it’ll be great for him.”
Lukaku scored his fifth goal on only his sixth Toffees appearance at the weekend. The 20-year-old Belgium international was surprisingly allowed to leave Chelsea on loan for the season by Jose Mourinho, who recently insisted that he does not regret his decision.
But Chelsea's loss has been Everton's gain - and thanks to Lukaku's goals, Everton currently sit sixth in the Premier League table.
“Considering Romelu’s age he has got all the qualities," Distin added. "He’s a monster. He’s learning game after game and has the right mentality."
Earlier this month, Lukaku said that he respected Mourinho's decision to loan him out, but he now hopes to score more goals than any of Chelsea's other strikers before the end of the campaign.
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