Last week, Lukaku trained with the team for the first time since his injury and now he seems to be getting closer to his first playing minutes. The Red Devils’ all-time record top scorer will board a plane to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday together with the rest of the Napoli selection. There, Napoli will face AC Milan on Thursday, where Alexis Saelemaekers extended his contract until 2031, in the context of the Italian Super Cup.
Whether he will actually take action remains to be seen. “But it is certainly a good opportunity to take an even closer look at his physical preparedness,” says De Laars. If Lukaku plays minutes on Thursday, it would be his first playing minutes since August 14, when he dropped out in a practice match against Olympiacos.
If Napoli manages to defeat Milan on Thursday, a final against Bologna or Inter awaits on December 22.
After the New Year we will also see Lukaku again in the Champions League. Big Rom replaced Kevin De Bruyne on Napoli’s European list.
