Belgian manager Mark van Bommel has insisted he will not guarantee Lukaku is fit for Belgium’s UEFA Nations League game with Turkey on Friday, as the club’s plans to use the striker remain murky.
During his first two matches as a manager, Van Bommel has been only sparingly, with Romelu Lukaku in that time. The 33-year-old replaced the injured Claude Makam came on for seven minutes in Belgium’s 2-0 triumph over Italy in Rome, but was sidelined in Monday’s 1-0 loss to France.
The lack of involvement has led to speculation about Lukaku’s fitness for the national team, especially after he was a key figure for Belgium in the last ten years. The striker has scored 93 goals in 133 international appearances, and is one of the most prolific in the country’s history.
Van Bommel, however, argued that there was nothing wrong with the forward and pointed out that Lukaku can come in to the game in Liege.
Romelu “can’t come on” or start, Van Bommel said at his pre-match press conference, “absolutely not!
The Belgium coach explained the decision against France was based on the game’s tactical situation, as they wanted to play a more active style of football when playing away from home.
Lukaku also had been a problem due to a lack of club football. He had a hampered, injury-plagued, and challenging 2025-26 season at Napoli before joining Fenerbahce, where he hasn’t been featured in the starting lineup much. He has appeared as a starter for the Turkish club, and as a substitute in seven matches.
Of course, match fitness should be taken into consideration but Van Bommel emphasized that Lukaku has been training well and shouldn’t take this omission as a red flag.
Belgium enter the game Friday with a chip on their shoulder, hoping to bounce back from a late loss to France. The way Lukaku will be used will be determined by Van Bommel’s tactical judgment and he could be a player of the moment or a supporting figure.
