Belgium name eight forwards in final squad
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
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Marc Wilmots has named an attack-minded Belgium squad for UEFA EURO 2016, with eight of the 23-man party described as forwards in Tuesday's official announcement.
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Belgium squad for UEFA EURO 2016
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Jean-François Gillet (Mechelen), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray), Christian Kabasele (Genk), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Thomas Meunier (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester Utd), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Axel Witsel (Zenit).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Marseille), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Divock Origi (Liverpool).
Marc Wilmots has named an attack-minded Belgium squad for UEFA EURO 2016, with eight of the 23-man party described as forwards in Tuesday's official announcement.
Wilmots has been deprived of a host of defenders through injury, with Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Lombaerts, Bjorn Engels and Dedryck Boyata all ruled out of the tournament.
"It's sad for all the boys, but that's life," said Wilmosts. "The defenders who I have at my disposal are still very good players. Even with all these injured players, I have a defence with Toby Alderweireld, Jason Denayer, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen. It's not too bad after all."
Uncapped Genk defender Christian Kabasele was called up on Monday and has made the final cut. "Kabasele was very calm when joining the squad yesterday," added Wilmots. "It was a bit unexpected for him, but I made clear to him that with the national team squad we are also just regular human beings and that he can always come to me or my staff if he has any questions."
Wilmots is blessed with plenty of options at the other end of the field, however, with attack-minded players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens to choose from.
Belgium's Group E fixtures
13/06: Belgium v Italy (Lyon)
18/06: Belgium v Republic of Ireland (Bordeaux)
22/06: Sweden v Belgium (Nice)
