The September's international break is the last stop before the Qatar 2022 World Cup. That's why many national teams need to see their best players in good shape in order to be called up for the tournament. That's Romelu Lukaku's case with the Belgium National team.
His performance for his national team is crucial, as he is one of the few players in the Belgium squad that is a true main striker. Especially when you have top-quality playmakers such as Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium's coach Roberto Martinez knows what a loss is not being able to called up Lukaku for them.
Currently in the squad, there's Charles De Ketelaere, and Dries Mertens for the striker position. However, neither of them have Lukaku's physique and quality in front of net. Hopefully he will return after the break, and will be a starter for Inter.
Why is Romelu Lukaku not playing for Belgium in the UEFA Nations League?
In the last week of August, Lukaku suffered a muscle injury during a trainning session for his club, Inter. Due to this injury, Lukaku couldn't play important games for the Nerazzurri, including the Derby della Madonnina matchup, as well as the games against Bayern and Viktoria Plzen for the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League.
In fact, the All-Time Belgium's leading scorer had to sat outside for the last international break too, as Belgium will face two World Cup-quality teams such as Wales, and the Netherlands. "He will probably return to Inter in a week's time. Not calling him up was a cautious choice. With Romelu it was important not to take any risks, because a relapse with an injury of this kind would be very risky ahead of the World Cup.", the manager Roberto Martinez said in a press conference.
As the Belgium's manager mentioned, injuries in this time of the season is a major warning for every coaching staff and players who want their best squads ready and healthy for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. For this case, Lukaku will probably be ready just in time before the biggest football tournament in the world.
