Mark van Bommel has explained why he isn’t worried about Romelu Lukaku, still without a goal or an assist for Fenerbahçe. « He still has to digest a move to a new club, » he said of his side’s record scorer.
The Red Devils’ head coach, who makes his debut on Friday against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, added that Lukaku « is working hard » and is getting closer to his best form in training. « He still needs a bit more time, it won’t happen overnight. But I’m not worried about him at all, » he said.
« Digest a move. I checked, it’s not a set phrase, it’s just an image. So what exactly are we digesting? The new dressing room? The new time zone? I’ve written the question in my notebook, under the tab ‘football expressions’. »
Lukaku, the Red Devils’ all-time top scorer, has scored 14 times at the Stadio Olimpico for his various clubs over his career. Never for the Belgian national team.
« So he has an excellent personal memory of this stadium, but none with the shirt he’ll be wearing on Friday. Silly question, but does the stadium remember him? Anyway, I still have a lot to learn. »
In his press conference, Van Bommel also defended recalling Loïs Openda, saying he called him up because he believes in him. According to RTBF, Thomas Meunier and Alexis Saelemakers, on the other hand, have been left out of this squad. And up front, Charles De Ketelaere, already used as a centre-forward by Rudi Garcia at the World Cup, is expected to start as the attacking spearhead.
« I’m told a coach ‘believes’ in a player. It’s rarely said that he ‘believes’ in another. Is there an official list of who’s believed in and who isn’t? I asked, nobody has a list. »
One detail that did the rounds in the Dutch-language newsrooms: the day before this debut, the coach’s son, Ruben van Bommel, made his own debut for the Netherlands, in the match against Germany (1-1), setting up Cody Gakpo’s equaliser in the 92nd minute. That makes him the first Dutch international whose father (79 caps) and grandfather, Bert van Marwijk (one cap), also played for the national team.
« So in one weekend, the Van Bommel-van Marwijk family adds a line to a family tree of Dutch football, while the father settles onto a Belgian bench. Basketball doesn’t have that, I looked. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn. »
It’s true, we checked: Walfoot.
