Mark van Bommel has drawn attention to Jorge Jesus’ handling of Cristiano Ronaldo after explaining why Romelu Lukaku has recently been left out of Belgium’s starting line-up.
Ronaldo left the Portugal camp on Wednesday and returned to Madrid following a disagreement with Jesus over his omission from the match against Norway in the second round of the Nations League group stage.
A similar situation has emerged within Belgium’s squad under Van Bommel, although the issue involving Lukaku has been less serious. The Fenerbahce striker played only the final seven minutes of normal time in Belgium’s opening Nations League match against Italy before remaining on the bench for the full game against France in the second round.
Van Bommel addressed the decision at his news conference before Friday’s match against Turkey in the third round of the group stage. He said he had spoken to Lukaku to explain his current position within the team.
“Romelu can come on as a substitute or start, but it depends on what we believe we need at a particular stage or in a certain situation,” Van Bommel said, in comments reported by Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad.
“But I have never promised a player that he will play. You can say the chances are high, but there are no guarantees.”
The Dutchman’s remarks were widely shared on social media, with users using them to criticise Jesus after the Portugal manager admitted he had promised Ronaldo playing time against Norway before changing his decision because the circumstances were not suitable.
Van Bommel also explained why he did not select Lukaku against France.
“He has certain qualities, but against France I felt we were playing a little too far from the goal, which meant we could have made better use of speed,” he said.
“I speak to Romelu a lot. I also went to see him in Istanbul and spoke to him on FaceTime about the situation and the way we play.
“I do not want to suggest that Romelu cannot do that style of football. On the contrary, the only obstacle is that he does not play very often for Fenerbahce.”
Van Bommel said Lukaku’s omission was not a reflection of his attitude or training performances.
“I also explained to him that I chose speed, not because he is performing badly. He is training well,” he added.
“But the decision is not based simply on good training sessions, or the opposite. It may seem like a bigger issue from your side, but there is no need to look for hidden reasons.”
