The coach of the Belgian football team, Roberto Martinez, announced today the list of players he is counting on for the matches with the Netherlands and Estonia, and the recently injured Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany was on it, but Radja Naingolan was absent.
Martinez said that how much Kompany will play in the upcoming national team matches depends on his performance for Manchester City this coming weekend.
"First of all, we have to get the company back into competitive form. He is an important player for us, but it is also important to follow the doctor's instructions. We are in contact with Manchester City, the cooperation is very good. We will talk after the game on Saturday," said Martinez.
Kompany has been one of Belgium's key players in recent years, but his performance in next Wednesday's friendly against the Netherlands and the qualifying match against Estonia on November 13 is uncertain due to a groin injury he sustained on September 22.
On the other hand, Martinez said that the reason for the absence of Naingolan from the list of players for the upcoming matches is that the 28-year-old midfielder is recovering from an injury, although he played the entire match against Austria Vienna in the Europa League last night.
"I don't have a problem with Nainggolan. I think he should be given time to get back into shape as much as possible, because he still hasn't fully regained his freshness. He was good in the Europa League, where he showed that he is on the right path. He needs to find the best form, that's why he should be allowed to work in Rome," said Martinez.
Belgium takes first place in Group H of the World Cup qualifiers with a maximum performance and a goal difference of 13:0 from three games.
Bonus video:
