SOCCER: Lukaku on the comeback trail, insists Belgium coach

RIJEKA, Croatia — The fitness and form of Belgium’s top scorer, Romelu Lukaku, pose no concerns ahead of the World Cup, coach Rudi Garcia insisted on the eve of Tuesday’s warm-up clash against Croatia.

The 33-year-old Lukaku was included in Belgium’s squad for this month’s tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States despite playing only an hour of competitive football this season.

Lukaku did not start for Napoli, making seven substitute appearances and scoring a goal at Verona in February. He has been in Belgium since March rehabilitating a hamstring injury.

However, his role as the country’s leading scorer—with 89 goals in 124 appearances—prompted Garcia to gamble on his fitness, and the coach is pleased with his decision.

“I’ve never seen a player as motivated as he is,” Garcia told a press conference on Monday. “I’m not worried about Romelu’s injury, but he has played very little. He is better than I expected and scores a lot in training. But it’s also logical that he’s not yet ready to start. He is still a long way from being able to play 90 minutes, but he could come on as a substitute.”

Garcia added that it remains to be seen how impactful the striker will be early on.

“I don’t know how good he’ll be against Egypt or later in the tournament," Garcia said. "He’s coming from a long way back, but I’m very happy that he’s with us.”

Belgium opens its Group G campaign on June 15 against Egypt in Seattle before facing Iran and New Zealand.

-Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters