The manager of Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, would hope that his striker Romelu Lukaku would be fit enough to play before the end of the international break.
The 28-year-old Belgian striker left Belgium camp and returned to Chelsea during the weekend due to “muscle fatigue, according to the head coach of the Belgium national team, Roberto Martinez.
This means that Romelu Lukaku would not play in the UEFA Nations League third-place match between Belgium and Italy scheduled to kick off at 14:00 later today, October 10.
Lukaku played in Belgium’s Nations League semi-final game against France on Thursday, October 7, 2021. He scored a 40th-minute goal which doubled Belgium’s lead in the game but the Belgian team ended up crashing out 3-2 in favor of France.
In preparation for the third-place game, coach Martinez confirmed that the country’s all-time highest goalscorer won’t be fit to play against Italy.
The coach said: “It’s an overload. He didn’t feel 100 percent to play tomorrow. It’s soreness in his tissue.
“Every decision taken involves both medical departments together for the good of the player.”
coach Martinez did not reveal how severe the “muscle fatigue” issue was and how long the football star who has made over 100 appearances for Belgium would be sidelined before he returns to action.
Recall that since Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea on August 12, 2021, from Inter Milan for a transfer fee worth €115 million, he has not missed a game.
Since then, coach Thomas Tuchel has used the Belgian striker six times in the Premier League, 2 times in the Champions League, and once in EFL Cup.
The Belgian striker started his 2021-2022 campaign at Chelsea on a good note scoring in three successive games. Afterward, he found it difficult to continue with such a form.
The fact that he scored against France on Thursday must have lifted the spirit of the Chelsea coach even though Belgium lost the game. But now, the coach would be left to wonder how Lukaku would be fit before October 16, when Chelsea take on Brentford in a Premier League game.
On the other hand, Real Madrid would be worried about the fitness level of Eden Hazard because the Belgian captain has also left the Belgian camp due to “muscle fatigue”.
Just like Lukaku, Hazard would undergo medical treatment at his club with the hope that he would be fit enough to play in Real Madrid’s league game against Athletic Club on October 17, 2021. The kick-off time for the Spanish La Liga game has not been decided at the time of publishing this report.
