SOCCER: Lukaku drops out of Belgium’s World Cup warm-ups

BRUSSELS – Belgium’s top scorer, Romelu Lukaku, will miss the national team’s trip to the U.S. this week, including World Cup warm-up matches in Atlanta and Chicago.

The 32-year-old striker, who has scored a record 89 goals in 124 appearances for Belgium, has decided to focus on his fitness. He will sit out Saturday’s friendly against the U.S. and another match against Mexico.

“Romelu prefers to train in the coming period with the aim of further optimizing his physical readiness,” the Belgian Football Association said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lukaku has struggled with injuries this season and has played only sparingly for his club, Napoli. His last appearance for Belgium was a 4-3 win over Wales in World Cup qualifying in Brussels in June, in which he scored. He subsequently missed six international matches.

-Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters