Everton fullback Leighton Baines admits handing over spotkick duties to Romelu Lukaku to help boost his confidence.

Lukaku signed a permanent contract with Everton last summer but has struggled in front of the goal this season, scoring only nine Premier League goals in 33 appearances.

"When Rom signed permanently I said then, if he wanted them, no problem," said Baines. "It was just about getting him scoring when we re-signed him.

"So I said 'whenever you're ready, just tell me' because, again, I'm thinking of him as a player.

"Strikers live off goals and look at their records and if he's scoring penalties, and his record is looking good, then his confidence is good and you'll probably get other goals on the back of that. If he scores a penalty after 20 minutes, then he's up and you might get other goals from that.

"If he finishes the season on 10, 11 or 12 or can slot five or six pens on top of that, it's a different ball game when people look at his record."