Romelu Lukaku
33-Year-Old
Napoli
Serie A
Immediate impact as substitute
Lukaku generated two shots (zero on goal) in Monday's 1-1 draw versus Egypt.
ANALYSIS
Lukaku came on as a substitute in the second half of Monday's 1-1 draw with Egypt and made an immediate and decisive impact, running onto a cross from the right and lurching to tap the ball into the net only for Mohamed Hany to get there first and turn it into his own goal just 23 seconds after Lukaku's introduction, one of the fastest impacts by a substitute in World Cup history. The Napoli striker also registered two shots after coming on as Belgium pushed for a winner in the final 20 minutes, with his physical presence in the box and ability to hold up play and draw defensive attention changing the entire dynamic of the match from the moment he entered. Lukaku's immediate impact will reignite the debate around his starting role for the Iran fixture, with his ability to attract defenders and create space for teammates giving Belgium a fundamentally different attacking profile to what Charles De Ketelaere offers from the first whistle.
Lukaku came on as a substitute in the second half of Monday's 1-1 draw with Egypt and made an immediate and decisive impact, running onto a cross from the right and lurching to tap the ball into the net only for Mohamed Hany to get there first and turn it into his own goal just 23 seconds after Lukaku's introduction, one of the fastest impacts by a substitute in World Cup history. The Napoli striker also registered two shots after coming on as Belgium pushed for a winner in the final 20 minutes, with his physical presence in the box and ability to hold up play and draw defensive attention changing the entire dynamic of the match from the moment he entered. Lukaku's immediate impact will reignite the debate around his starting role for the Iran fixture, with his ability to attract defenders and create space for teammates giving Belgium a fundamentally different attacking profile to what Charles De Ketelaere offers from the first whistle.
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Returns with national team
Lukaku (hip) made a 17-minute appearance and scored the second of Belgium's goals in Tuesday's 2-0 friendly win over Croatia.
ANALYSIS
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Scores in friendly
Lukaku (hip) scored during Thursday's 3-0 training match victory over Standard de Liege's reserve side at the Proximus Basecamp, providing a significant boost to his World Cup preparations and reassuring everyone around the national team about his physical condition, according to Muzamel Rahmat of Walfoot.
ANALYSIS
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Feeling good in preparation
Lukaku (hip) insists he is in better physical shape than he was ahead of the 2022 World Cup and is working hard to regain match sharpness in time for the tournament, according to Martin Weynants of the RTBF. "I feel better and better. I am in better shape than before the 2022 World Cup, I should not have gone to Qatar at the time. I am not going there thinking I will already be a starter. Nor that I will play an hour. That would be completely crazy to think. I have only played 64 minutes. You have to remain a little reasonable. I will do everything to be ready and I will be able to make my contribution to the team at a later stage."
ANALYSIS
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Returning to Belgium
Lukaku is heading back to Belgium to work on his conditioning ahead of the World Cup, La Repubblica reported.
ANALYSIS
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Out versus Bologna
Lukaku (hip) won't be selected for Monday's fixture versus Bologna and might not be available for any of the last three rounds, Mediaset reported.
ANALYSIS
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Napoli remain keen on him
Napoli director Giovanni Manna has returned to England to continue transfer talks for Lukaku, according to Gianluca di Marzio.
ANALYSIS
Napoli's interest in Lukaku remains alive despite all the hurdles Chelsea have placed on a potential transfer. The Serie A giants are looking to acquire the services of the Belgium international before the end of the transfer window regardless of what happens with Victor Osimhen.
Napoli's interest in Lukaku remains alive despite all the hurdles Chelsea have placed on a potential transfer. The Serie A giants are looking to acquire the services of the Belgium international before the end of the transfer window regardless of what happens with Victor Osimhen.