Romelu Lukaku bangs in four just days after ex-Rangers striker Robbie Ure cited the Belgium hitman as his Anderlecht inspiration.
The reported £97.5m Chelsea striker, who is on loan at Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, hit Azerbaijan with a quartet of strikes in a 5-0 European Championship qualifying win.
The 36-minute four-goal haul takes the legendary striker’s Belgium return to 83 goals in 113 games and there’s a reason why Robbie Ure namedropped Romelu Lukaku last week.
One of the game’s most recognisable frontmen, Romelu Lukaku came through the Anderlecht youth system and 19-year-old Robbie Ure sees the striker as an inspiration.
Robbie Ure wants to strike Romelu Lukaku path
Speaking after a summer switch to Belgium following the expiration of his contract at Rangers, the forward is back in the Scotland U21 squad and ready to impress.
Now turning out for the Anderlecht youth team in the Belgian second tier, Robbie Ure hopes to follow in the footsteps of Romelu Lukaku at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
“Romelu Lukaku started at Anderlecht and he is someone I look up to,” explains Robbie Ure. “I feel like we are both target men.
“There are so many players who came through at Anderlecht. It’s good to look up to them when I am starting the same journey.
“Anderlecht have told me they believe in me and they want me to keep working hard every day and see what happens.
“There’s no guarantee that any of us will pay for Anderlecht’s first team but I am confident and I believe in myself.
“I’ve scored four goals in six games. so I have started the season well.
“I’m playing in the second tier of Belgian football and a lot higher standard than I was playing last season.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect but it’s been good and it’s a good level. We are basically an Under 23s team in the second tier so it is definitely challenging.”
Will Rangers rue striker exit?
Rangers fans will follow the career of Robbie Ure closely although a Romelu Lukaku-esque impact at Anderlecht might raise a few Ibrox eyebrows
Academy talent Robbie Ure broke into the Rangers team under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, even scoring in a debut 3-1 League Cup win over Queen of the South in August 2022.
But despite breaking into the Rangers squad, that season would be the last at Ibrox for the striker who moved on this summer.
The situation suggests that perhaps Rangers were right to pull their young squad from the Lowland League B team set-up, with the steep rise up the levels impacting the development of young players.
Robbie Ure clearly sees his interests better served at a more challenging level than at Ibrox, with a B team on the continent offering greater opportunities.
Whilst an impact like Romelu Lukaku is a long way off for Robbie Ure, kudos to the young striker for taking the leap at Anderlecht after leaving Rangers.
It also says something that Rangers let the striker go in the summer rather than desperately try to tie him down and the next few years will be crucial for him.
