No De Bruyne, Doku or Mertens, but no real surprise either…

Vermaelen cannot travel due to the quarantine measures in Japan. Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, Dries Mertens and Nacer Chadli are all unavailable due to injury. De Bruyne is still struggling with the ankle. After the lost quarter-final at the European Championship against Italy (1-2), the midfielder said he had played with a ligament tear in his ankle, an injury he sustained in the round of 16 against Portugal (1-0 win). A week and a half ago, the Manchester City playmaker came into action for 11 minutes on the first day of the Premier League against Tottenham, last weekend he was missing against Norwich due to an ankle problem.

Doku is sidelined with a hamstring injury, just like Nacer Chadli. Dries Mertens is still recovering from an operation on the shoulder, performed after the European Championship. “And we have agreed with Club Brugge that we will let Simon Mignolet get into his rhythm at the club,” said Martinez. “Mignolet hasn’t had a real break since the European Championship. It is important that he takes a real break to let his body recover. I expect him to be ready for international football again by October. The same also applies to Hendrik Van Crombrugge.” Jan Vertonghen, who recently returned to Benfica after a muscle injury, Thomas Meunier (quarantine after corona infection) and Timothy Castagne, ready to play again after an eye socket fracture.

For example, there are a total of eleven boys who did not belong to the original European Championship selection. Koen Casteels (injured at the European Championships), Thomas Kaminski, Brandon Mechele, Hannes Delcroix, Zinho Vanheusden, Thomas Foket, Alexis Saelemaekers, Albert Sambi-Lokonga, Charles De Ketelaere, Yari Verschaeren and Dodi Lukebakio are all among the 31 names that Martinez will join. made it. However, it is not the first selection for any of them. De Ketelaere and Verschaeren are only eligible for playing minutes against Belarus because they have also been called up for the national promises. “The match against Turkey (with the U21, ed.) is a very important match with a view to the European U21 Championship. That match is essential for the development of our talent,” said Martinez.

“Need good reason for big changes”

The national coach seems to be largely sticking to the chosen path. When he was asked by a foreign journalist whether it was loyalty that made him stick to an aging group of players, he answered. “When I look at the European Championship and put my emotions aside, there were some good performances besides our loss against Italy. All in all I had to be satisfied. To make changes, there has to be a good reason,” said Martinez. “If you only look at age, you can easily make bad decisions. I think those changes should come naturally.” Following on from that, the Spaniard already seemed to announce many playing minutes for Eden Hazard. “He is doing well. It is good to see that he is having fun. He is pain free, but now it is important to get his match rhythm back in order. I think we can help with that with the national team.”

Genk players Bryan Heynen and Theo Bongonda are two boys who just missed a first call-up for the Red Devils, while Benito Raman and Adnan Januzaj, according to Martinez, “were also very close”. “What else can they do? I have seen that they have started the season well, but now they have to prove that they can be consistent. Then they will be rewarded with a selection for the Red Devils.”

Nine out of nine as a target

The Red Devils are gathering for the first time on Monday since the disappointing European Championship, which fizzled out with an early elimination in the quarter-finals against Italy at the beginning of July. With seven out of nine, the Belgians got off to a solid start in the spring qualifiers for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, although our national pride, especially in the Czech Republic (1-1), fell below expectations and there was a class flash from Romelu Lukaku. the hour it takes to get a point out of the fire. At home, Wales (3-1) and Belarus (8-0) were easily won.

For the coming triptych, a nine out of nine must be the starting point and then the Czech Republic will already be on at least six points, with only two more duels in November (at home against Estonia and as a closing in Wales) in the offing. Wales is four points behind the Belgians with a game less and seems to be the main challenger in the battle for group victory. Unlike for EURO 2020, not the top two, but only the group winner is directly qualified for the World Cup. The numbers two and some countries from the Nations League will participate in the play-offs next year, where the last three European tickets will be distributed.