Report: Lukaku ruled out of Belgium's first matches
Published
Belgium is set to open up their World Cup campaign without their record goal scorer.
AFP reports the Inter striker Romelu Lukaku will miss the Red Devils' first two Group F matches in Qatar, against Canada and Morocco, still nursing a hamstring injury.
The 29-year-old Lukaku's 68 goals are the most in Red Devils' history.
The Antwerp native returned to the Nerazzurri on loan for a second straight season, having failed to reintegrate into the Chelsea setup after a club-record £97.5 million transfer from Inter in the summer of 2021.
Lukaku has only made five appearances in all competitions for Inter this season and only two since August.
With Lukaku out, manager Roberto Martinez can choose from a forward corps that includes veteran Galatasaray striker Dries Mertens, Fenerbahce's Michy Batshuayi and youngsters Jeremy Doku and Lois Openda.
The hope is that Lukaku will be available for the Red Devils' final group-stage match with Croatia.