Belgium announce friendly squad
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Belgium have announced their 23-man squad for their upcoming friendly against Chile.
The most notable inclusion is that of Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj. The 18-year-old was reluctant to commit his international future to Belgium, as there is pressure on the youngster to choose Kosovo or Albania rather than his country of birth. Januzaj, who is also eligible for Turkey and Serbia, has been convinced by Enzo Scifo to accept Belgium's call, but will still be eligible for other nations even if he plays against Chile, as the match is only a friendly.
Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen, Thibaut Courtois as well as midfielder Steven Defour all miss out on the squad through injury, and Tottenham's Nacer Chadli and Napoli's Dries Mertens have been rested.
As expected, Scifo has called up several new faces, with there being as many as six players in the squad who could make their Rode Duivels debut.
17-year-old Zakaria Bakkali is expected to play a big part in Belgium's future.
Youngsters Koen Casteels, Zakaria Bakkali and Massimo Bruno are a part of the 23 man team, but are presumably there for the experience and are not expected to play.
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Argentine-born Matias Suarez is a part of the National Team
Another talking point is the inclusion of Anderlecht's Matias Suarez. The striker is Argentine by birth, but only recently became eligible for Belgium. Scifo's decision to call up the 25-year-old has again brought up the issue of national teams using naturalised players.
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Pundits think that Laurens de Bock is not good enough to play for Belgium
Scifo's choice to include Club Brugge left-back Laurens de Bock has come under harsh criticism, with most experts believing that the 20-year-old is not good enough to contribute anything to the team.
Defender Jan Vertonghen has officially replaced Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen as the National Team's vice-captain.
Belgium Squad
Goalkeepers
- Simon Mignolet
- Silvio Proto
- Koen Casteels
Defenders
- Vincent Kompany (Captain)
- Toby Alderweireld
- Jan Vertonghen (Vice-Captain)
- Daniel van Buyten
- Nicolas Lombaerts
- Jelle van Damme
- Laurens de Bock
Midfielders
- Marouane Fellaini
- Mousa Dembele
- Radja Nainggolan
- Axel Witsel
- Kevin de Bruyne
- Adnan Januzaj
- Massimo Bruno
- Eden Hazard
- Kevin Mirallas
- Zakaria Bakkali
Forwards
- Matias Suarez
- Christian Benteke
- Romelu Lukaku
