Roberto Martinez has revealed there is still a chance that Romelu Lukaku could play a role for Belgium before the end of this phase of international matches, with his ankle injury not being as bad as expected. The Chelsea forward was forced off in the clash against the Netherlands after 27 minutes after a collision with Nathan Ake.
The Belgium boss' initial reaction was that the injury 'didn't look good' ahead of the wait for an MRI scan, but not it appears the blow is not as bad as first feared. The 29-year-old is set to miss Nations League clashes against Poland and Wales but could be in contention when Belgium play Poland for a second time next week.
Martinez confirmed that Lukaku would stay with the squad as he aims to recover, with the 48-year-old conceding the Red Devils would have to change their playing style without the forward. Fellow Blues striker Michy Batshuayi was able to net in a cameo appearance in the defeat to Louis van Gaal's men.
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Former Everton boss Martinez said: "He will stay with us, but the chance that he will still play is very small. Certainly not against Poland tomorrow and in Wales. Maybe the fourth match, but that is also very unlikely. Another chance, otherwise we would have sent him back by now. Medically it's not that bad either. I thought he was very good against the Netherlands. I was very happy with his match, so I was unhappy that he dropped out. We don't have anyone else with a profile as Romelu in the core. Obviously, we have to play in a different way now."
The striker's setback on the pitch has done little to quell rumours that Lukaku is pushing for a return to Inter Milan from Stamford Bridge, however. Reports have suggested the former Manchester United ace has messaged former teammates and officials to discuss a return to the San Siro.
Any deal will likely prove difficult due to the size of Lukaku's salary and Chelsea's record fee of £97.5 million, with Inter unwilling to take on the burden of the Belgian's wages alone. If a transfer is not devised, Martinez's update will likely see Lukaku return to Cobham on July 9th, along with the Blues' other stars involved with their national sides, one week later than the rest of the squad.
