Belgium national team coach Domenico Tedesco has revealed that striker Romelu Lukaku is facing a knee issue, putting his participation in Napoli’s upcoming Serie A match against Roma in doubt.
Sky Sport Italia report how Lukaku, who played the full 90 minutes as captain in Belgium’s recent Nations League defeat to Italy, has left the national team camp and returned to Napoli’s training facility in Castel Volturno. What initially appeared to be a mutual agreement for Lukaku to skip Belgium’s final Nations League match against Israel has now been confirmed as an injury-related decision.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Israel game, Tedesco provided more details on Lukaku’s condition: “He has a problem with his knee, he needed an injection. We didn’t agree that he would only play one match: he felt the problem after Italy. Romelu won’t be able to train or play for four or five days.”
This timeline puts Lukaku’s availability for Napoli’s crucial Serie A fixture against Roma on November 24th in serious jeopardy. The match holds particular significance for Lukaku, as Roma is his former club.
Lukaku is not the only player to withdraw from the Belgium squad for the Israel match. The Belgian FA released a statement saying: “Onana, Lukaku, De Cuyper, Lavia and Theate are not fit for the game against Israel and have left the squad.” With Belgium already eliminated from Nations League quarter-final contention following their loss to Italy, several players have been allowed to return to their clubs early.
