Belgium‘s stand-in captain Romelu Lukaku said he would welcome Thibaut Courtois back into the national team with open arms after the goalkeeper walked out of the squad in June.
Overlooked for the stand-in captain’s role, Courtois refused to play in June’s European Championship qualifier against Estonia, according to coach Domenico Tedesco who this week said he had since had no contact with the Real Madrid goalkeeper.
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Courtois tore knee ligaments and underwent surgery in August, keeping the Real Madrid keeper on the sidelines for six or seven months and delaying any resolution, but earlier this week Belgium full-back Timothy Castagne said he did not think Courtois could return to the squad without any explanation.
Lukaku, however, expressed a different opinion on Wednesday.
“I mean from the bottom of my heart: we must put what happened behind us,” he told a press conference as Belgium prepared for their next qualifier against Austria in Vienna on Friday.
“The day Thibaut decides to return, he will simply return. If that happens, he will still be of great value. Thibaut will then answer for himself in the dressing room. You know, I would like to call on the media not to constantly write that Thibaut Courtois or any other player said this or did that.
