Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed his gratitude to Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat for handing him his chance at international level.
The forward was handed his debut for Belgium at the age of just 16 by Advocaat during his tenure with the De Rode Duivels, despite his lack of experience in the Belgian Pro League.
Lukaku feels that his emergence on the international scene helped him grow as a footballer more quickly than if he was playing for the Under-21 side.
"[Advocaat] is the one who gave me my chance to play for my country and that's when my life took a new direction," Lukaku told the club's official website.
"From starting playing [for Anderlecht] at 16, scoring my first goal, my life changed. I was still in school, people were not looking at me five months before, but then when I went to school, everything changed.
"Then I started playing for Belgium and it was a whole new thing. I will always be grateful to him for that. If he wasn't there I could have been in the Under-21s for another six months, but I was there at 16 and my story started."
Everton face off against Sunderland at Goodison Park in the Premier League later today.
Simon Sinclair
