Lukaku, a backstory pops up: even De Bruyne is in it

The Lukaku case continues to cause discussion not only in Naples, but also in Belgium, where new backstory emerges on the reasons that prompted the striker to stay in his homeland for rehabilitation. According to reports in the Belgian newspaper Hln, the choice was not dictated by a break with Napoli, but rather by the desire to arrive at the World Cup in the best possible condition, avoiding what happened four years ago, when in Qatar he only reached optimal form in the third match of the round against Croatia.

Lukaku’s situation is often compared to that of club and national teammate De Bruyne. Both have relied during rehabilitation on Lieven Maesschalck’s Move To Cure center, in particular physiotherapist Bert Driesen, a trusted figure since his time with the Belgian national team. However, while De Bruyne was able to complete the entire course in Belgium, Lukaku split his rehabilitation between Antwerp and Naples, after being called back to Italy in early November, when he was not yet fully recovered and less than two months after the passing of his father.

“We followed different paths after the injuries,” De Bruyne himself explained. “I completed everything in Belgium, Romelu half in Antwerp and half in Naples. With two different visions, it is difficult to work together: there have been disagreements, and this is not ideal to return to the best.”

Based on the early return, according to the Belgian media, there would have been the will of President De Laurentiis, disappointed by the results in the Champions League and eager to have back one of the leaders of the locker room. A choice that, however, would have turned out to be counterproductive: the workload would have been increased too quickly (despite the indications coming from the Antwerp staff), causing a relapse that delayed the striker’s return to the field until the late January challenge against Juventus.