Romelu Lukaku is showing signs of greatness at Everton as he cruises past 50 Premier League goals aged just 22... Jose Mourinho must regret selling the Belgian 

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'Romelu was always very clear with us that in his mentality and his approach he was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea.'

Thus spake Jose Mourinho, firing the decisive verbal volley and conclusively ending his undignified war of words with Romelu Lukaku back in July 2014.

Those damning remarks came on the same day the Belgian signed a five-year contract at Everton's Finch Farm training ground following the completion of a £28m transfer.

Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring twice in Everton's 4-0 rout of Aston Villa last weekend 

Lukaku celebrates after scoring Everton's fourth goal in their recent 6-2 demolition of Sunderland

Lukaku's relationship with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho broke down, leading to his £28m sale in 2014

The flashbulbs popped as Lukaku, beaming the widest of smiles, posed for the usual publicity photographs with boss Roberto Martinez and holding the blue shirt of Everton he would from then be wearing on a permanent basis.

Lukaku had enjoyed a splendid loan season with Everton in 2013-14, scoring 16 goals in 33 appearances to become a firm fans' favourite as they finished fifth in the Premier League with a club record 72 points.

But it was punctuated by an ongoing spat with Mourinho that ultimately made his escape to Goodison Park the only feasible option.

After starting the season in the Chelsea side, Lukaku's relationship with Mourinho completely broke down. Having spent the previous campaign on loan at West Bromwich Albion - with considerable success - he was farmed out again.

The pair then didn't communicate for months and as the goals rolled in for Everton, it became sore point for Chelsea fans that Lukaku was elsewhere when Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba were struggling to find the net.

Lukaku showing a characteristic finisher's instinct to round the keeper and score against Sunderland

It was after this penalty miss in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich that Lukaku left Chelsea and joined Everton on loan for the rest of the campaign 

It resulted in an excellent season, with the Belgian scoring 16 goals during his loan spell at Goodison Park

Mourinho ultimately broke his silence to claim that Lukaku wanted to go out on loan and criticised the player for suggesting otherwise.

'Maybe there is a new rule in football when the season finishes every player is able to decide their own future,' said Mourinho dismissively in December 2013, giving the strong impression they would never ever work together.

And so it came to pass, But what goes around comes around - It may have crossed Mourinho's mind as his team struggled desperately for traction this season that a proven goalscorer like Lukaku may have been rather handy.

As Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao, Pedro and Loic Remy all struggle for goals, Lukaku puts them away contentedly for Everton.

He has 11 in 16 outings so far this season - two more than Chelsea's four strikers combined across all competitions.

Lukaku's double in last Saturday's 4-0 rout of Aston Villa brought about his 50th top-flight goal in England and he became only the fifth player to achieve the half-century while under the age of 23.

Lukaku scores one of this three goals for Everton in their 4-1 Europa League win over Young Boys 

Lukaku has come on leaps and bounds under the guidance of Everton manager Roberto Martinez

Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are the other four and there's every likelihood Lukaku will now go on to accomplish as much as those luminaries.

The disappointments of his early career at Chelsea have not been allowed to get in the way of the young player's development into one of the most complete strikers on display in England.

6ft 3in tall and powerfully built, with a deadly finish and intelligence to outwit defenders, Lukaku has that rare ability to unsettle an entire defensive line through his presence alone.

That has been much in evidence in recent weeks as Lukaku has started to add a real consistency to his performances and help propel Everton up the table.

Martinez's team now embark on a run of festive fixtures that could come to define their season. Given the openness and unpredictability of this season's Premier League, Everton will never get a better chance to reach the top four.

Lukaku spent the 2012-13 season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, scoring a total of 17 goals

At the age of 22, Lukaku has played 41 times for his country Belgium, scoring on 11 occasions 

They travel to Bournemouth on Saturday then head up to Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup - a competition they should be aiming to win - next week.

The coming weeks see fixtures against Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Stoke City and Tottenham. Lukaku will be key as always.

As for the man himself, there appears no limit to what he can go on and achieve in English football. With 50 goals already under his belt, he could end up with 200, perhaps even more.

And the ironic thing is that if he continues to perform, a big club will inevitably offer some big money to sign him.

Now Everton may stand firm - they may well not feel the need to sell another asset - but, worst case scenario, a tidy profit is sure to be made for a player who could become one of the greats.