Lukaku's 70 minutes as captain: hope for more playing minutes at Fenerbahçe
In the cold stadium of the French stadium stood Romelu Lukaku, captain of the Red Devils, in the centre circle. He was given seventy minutes to lead the attack and showed encouraging signals. The atmosphere was tense, but his effort gave the team an extra boost.
Playing time in the international break
Lukaku started against Italy and was given only seven minutes, after which he played half an hour against Turkey and even scored. Against France he received the full seventy minutes, which meant that in this international break he accumulated just over one hundred playing minutes. These successive appearances show a clear increase in confidence from the national coach.
Marc Degryse praised the striker on VTM: “He has worked hard and was useful for the team. After not having performed as a starter for so long, that is good.” Degryse added that Lukaku was strong enough to weigh on the defence and that mistakes often had to be made on him, hoping that he can get more minutes at Fenerbahçe.
Comments from the coaching staff
Frank Boeckx emphasized: “He simply has to play more at Fenerbahçe indeed. But well: the minutes he can pick up with the Red Devils are a nice bonus. Against a top nation as well, that can only bring him closer to a regular spot at his club.” Boeckx sees the international minutes as an extra boost for Lukaku’s position in the Turkish club.
A source noted: “He has shown himself. We have not yet seen him apply high pressure. With De Ketelaere you perhaps have a fitter player to play against a slightly weaker opponent.” This observation underscores Lukaku’s possible role alongside young talent.
Timmy Simons felt the same enthusiasm, despite Lukaku also scoring points in the match. Simons emphasized that the striker’s physical qualities are still present.
The discussion even reaches the question of whether Lukaku can still overtake Lionel Messi, a new record that, according to an analyst, is “almost within reach.” An optimistic tone dominates: “He is far ahead of what many thought, I think. Surviving against such a strong France is impressive. He certainly still has the physical qualities.”