When Martin Atkinson blew into his whistle to mark the end of Manchester United’s dismantling of West Ham, everyone was quite pleased with what they saw.
After all, fan favourite Anthony Martial had scored and picked up an assist while new signing Romelu Lukaku walked down the tunnel with his name appearing on the scoresheet twice.
The Belgian’s performance was praised by many, yet Thierry Henry decided to go against the current, nitpicking live on air what the former Everton star could have done better.
Of course, there was a reason behind this, and that’s the fact the Arsenal legend happens to be Roberto Martinez’s assistant manager for the Belgium national team, spending most of his time working with the strikers.
Interviewed by Het Belang Van Limburg on Thursday, the ex-Everton manager said he wasn’t worried in the slightest about Henry’s comments, explaining that, if anything, he was doing the right thing.
He said: “Oh, Henry knows the potential Lukaku has, and therefore he will always be the last to praise him. Romelu knows that too. Sometimes, you just need someone who takes care of you. Their relationship is very honest. Lukaku doesn’t expect easy compliments from Henry.
“Romelu sometimes needs a stimulus. When I brought him to Everton for a record amount, I created a competitor. That pushed him to an even higher level. He’s a perfectionist, but isn’t at the top yet. That’s what Henry wanted to say.”
Speaking himself about his striker’s performance against West Ham, Martinez was pleased with what he saw, especially the player’s body language, suggesting the Manchester United forward was now brimming with confidence.
However, this doesn’t mean he is guaranteed a spot in the starting XI for Belgium, as the Spaniard pointed out that, if need be, they had other players capable of leading the line, singling out Michy Batshuayi as an example.
Nothing is ever easy in football, is it?
