Romelu Lukaku 'will miss Belgium's first two World Cup games' after failing to recover from injury

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Romelu Lukaku is set to 'miss Belgium's first two World Cup games' in Qatar
The injury leaves Roberto Martinez's side without their most experienced striker
It is not yet known whether Lukaku will recover for their third game vs Croatia
Belgium kick off their World Cup on Wednesday when they face Canada
Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results

Published: 09:22 EDT, 20 November 2022 | Updated: 09:47 EDT, 20 November 2022

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Belgium will reportedly be without Romelu Lukaku for the first two games of the Qatar World Cup after the Inter Milan striker failed to recover from a thigh injury.

The 29-year-old has played just four games in Serie A this season after picking up a thigh injury at the end of August.

His absence will be keenly felt by Roberto Martinez's side, as Lukaku is Belgium's record scorer with 68 international goals, and their most senior striker by a distance.

Romelu Lukaku is set to 'miss Belgium's first two World Cup games through injury'

The injury leaves Roberto Martinez's side without their most experienced striker

According to reports in Globo.com, the striker will definitely miss the first two games of the tournament against Canada and Morocco, and may struggle to recover in time for Belgium's final group game against Croatia.

There was talk of Lukaku being left out of the Belgium squad all together, but Martinez seems to have felt a player of his calibre and experience was worth the injury risk.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United man did not train with Belgium in their first public session, and fans will be hoping desperately he will be back to full fitness in time for the knockout stage should they qualify from Group F.

Even in Lukaku's absence, Belgium boast an exciting array of attacking talent in their squad. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Dries Mertens will provide a stern test for opposition defences.

Belgium still boast a dangerous squad thanks to the likes of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne

Many of their top players are now over 30, though, and there is some concern that this World Cup will be the last chance for this group of players to win an international trophy.

The squad has been highly tipped, but a 2-1 loss to Egypt in their final warm-up game before the tournament may have exposed some frailties.

Belgium kick off their World Cup on Wednesday when they face Canada at the Al Rayyan Stadium.