Belgian fans will be looking forward to Friday when Domenico Tedesco will announce his squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Israel and France, with the international futures of Kevin De Bruyne and Roger Lukaku still uncertain.
De Bruyne, who has won 105 caps since his debut in 2010, said after the European Championship in July that he was considering his future with the team.
The 33-year-old Manchester City midfielder expressed his concerns about a potential injury risk due to his club and country’s busy schedule.
Lukaku, Belgium’s record goalscorer with 85 goals in 119 appearances, has been waiting in limbo for months for news of a move to Naples.
The 31-year-old is one of many players Chelsea are looking to offload and has not trained with the first team, last featuring when Belgium were knocked out of the Euro 2024 quarter-finals by France on July 1.
Lukaku’s fitness for Belgium’s upcoming matches is in doubt, but his long-term international future is also uncertain as Tedesco looks to sign younger players with an eye on the next World Cup in two years.
READ | Courtois leaves the Belgian national team and says he will not play under coach Tedesco
After a disappointing European Championship, Tedesco is expected to usher in changes for the games against Israel on September 6 (which has been moved from Brussels to Debrecen, Hungary) and France three days later in Lyon.
One player who will definitely be missing is goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who announced last week that he would no longer play for the team as long as Tedesco was coach.
Courtois is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but was not included in the squad for last year’s European Championship following a dispute with Tedesco.