Belgium plans to bring Thibaut Courtois back to international duty after he stayed away from national team selection for about two years. Courtois left the Belgian national team camp in June 2023 because he disagreed with coach Domenico Tedesco about who should be captain thus he refused to play for his country. The move led Courtois to put intentions for a return to national team service following the dismissal of Tedesco in January. New Belgium coach Domenico Garcia has swiftly reinstated his star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for potential inclusion in Belgium’s upcoming Nations League match against Ukraine.
Garcia Embraces Fresh Start As Belgium Prepares For Ukraine Tie
The Nations League fixture between Belgium and Ukraine will open in Murcia next Thursday before the rematch takes place in Genk three days afterward. Belgian coach Domenico Garcia declared that everything starts fresh after Thibaut Courtois returned to the team according to the interview. The first contact I will have with the team will be on Monday while we discuss all that transpired with key leaders. The incident from the past is in the past and I will not let it continue to bother me once the current situation ends. Progress cannot occur without this change. The captaincy selection remained unsettled according to Garcia because he named Courtois along with Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City and Romelu Lukaku from Napoli as potential candidates.
Belgium’s Balanced Squad For Nations League Matches Against Ukraine
For their Nations League matches against Ukraine Belgium has selected both veteran pros and promising young players who will join the team. The three goalkeepers in Belgium’s squad consist of Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Antwerp), and Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest). Their defensive line-up includes Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), and Wout Faes (Leicester City). The midfield consists of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City while Youri Tielemans represents Aston Villa and Hans Vanaken plays at Club Brugge. Romelu Lukaku plays for Napoli and Jeremy Doku is at Manchester City together with Leandro Trossard who plays for Arsenal.