Belgium’s team physio has revealed that an agreement was in place that prevented Inter striker Romelu Lukaku from playing a full 90 minutes at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Having missed much of the season through injury, Lukaku was selected by Red Devils coach Roberto Martinez, but only featured as a late cameo once and then as a half-time substitute, as Belgium were sent crashing out of the tournament in Qatar at the group stage.
In an interview with Belgian television and radio station Sporza, and as reported by FCInter1908.it, physio Lieven Maesschalk revealed that Lukaku’s limited appearances for Inter this season meant he could not feature as much as Belgium had hoped at the World Cup, after just five games for the Nerazzurri.
“Roberto Martinez listens to the medical staff and discusses everything, ;ike the fact that Lukaku, for example, hadn’t played for months,” Maesschalk declared.
“The agreement was that he would not play 90 minutes. It was agreed with Romelu that facing Croatia in the final match should have been achievable.
“But physically, Romelu couldn’t handle an entire game. So a choice had to be made again, whether to put him in the starting line-up or not. To let him play for 45 minutes or 60 minutes,” he revealed.
Lukaku’s appearance as a substitute against Croatia saw him make several glaring misses, as Belgium were held to a goalless draw and eliminated from Group F.
The Inter striker had earlier come on as a late substitute against Morocco but could not draw his country level, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat.
