Romelu Lukaku has come in for criticism following his summer move to Turkey

Former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has been the subject of explosive criticism over his condition. Not for the first time, the Belgian striker, now of Fenerbahce, has been accused of being overweight and out of shape.

During his two-year spell at Old Trafford, Lukaku once shocked staff by returning for pre-season 9lbs above his ideal weight and was soon sold to Inter Milan. There were similar concerns during his spell at Napoli under Antonio Conte, who reportedly ordered him to shed a whopping 20lbs.

He has now come in for criticism from Turkish pundits following his slow start to life at Fenerbahce. Following the 6-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Europa League - of which Lukaku only came on for the final 20 minutes at 4-0 - former Besiktas coach Sinan Engin fumed: "Lukaku, aren’t you ashamed? Don't you ever look in a mirror?

“My advice: stop eating anything after 6pm because you’re putting on weight. Get yourself a nutritionist and a personal trainer.

"How did Lukaku score all those goals? Is this really the right Lukaku who came? You can't fool us."

Former Fenerbahce player Semih Senturk wasn't quite as harsh but said: "I expected a lot from Lukaku, but it's very disappointing. What's going to happen if he plays three or four matches in a row?"

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Another ex-Fenerbahce player, Tumer Metin, blamed Lukaku for Belgium's so-called 'Golden Generation' failing to win a major trophy, although it's worth noting that the 33-year-old has scored 94 goals in 135 appearances for his country.

Fenerbahce did warn that it would take time for Lukaku to regain peak fitness following his free-agent move in the summer. Sporting director Oguz Cetin said at the time: "We should not expect miracles from Lukaku in the short term.

"Steps must be taken to make him stronger. We will work on improving his physical condition. His integration into the team will be visible within four to six weeks."

Lukaku went some way to silencing his critics by scoring his first goal for the club after starting Sunday's 3-0 victory over Alanyaspor. The result left the Istanbul side third in the Super Lig, three points behind leaders and bitter rivals Galatasaray.

The win eased the pressure on head coach Ismail Karta, who has faced calls to be sacked. Fenerbahce host Slavia Prague in the Europa League on Tuesday before a crucial visit to Galatasaray on Monday.