It’s not really an international ‘break’ per se, as the club’s season is over, but even a pseudo-break wouldn’t be complete without players getting injured. And we didn’t have to wait too long during this two-week window of mostly pseudo-Nations League friendlies, with Romelu Lukaku suffering what looked like a twisted ankle (or some sort of injury to the lower leg) in today’s game against the Netherlands. .
To add insult to literal injury, neighbors Belgium beat them 4-1, with Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi earning late consolation in stoppage time to make the scoreline a little less awkward for the home team at full strength.
Lukaku had took a hit in training earlier this week, but apparently pushed to play and the technical staff allowed him to do so. He didn’t last more than 20 minutes before injuring his ankle again during a final withdrawal from Nathan Aké. Lukaku tried to keep playing, but it was clear he couldn’t.
Roberto Martinez hopes Romelu Lukaku will be back in training with Belgium today: “He was injured in a violent collision in training. If it had been me, I would have been at the hospital for several months. He is fine and I hope we see him in training today.” pic.twitter.com/XfLw9lm4Ej
— Kristof Terror (@HLNinEngeland) June 2, 2022
Hopefully this is the last time we see Lukaku on the pitch this month. Whether he stays or goes, he must stay healthy and fit.
Elsewhere on Friday, France and Croatia suffered shock defeats, 1-2 to Denmark and 0-3 to Austria, respectively. N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovačić started for their respective nations but Andreas Christensen had withdrawn from the Denmark squad. Moreover, César Azpilicueta featured in Spain’s 1-1 draw against Portugal yesterday.
