Belgium manager Roberto Martinez insists he will not make a decision on Romelu Lukaku's World Cup role until September amid his poor form for Chelsea.
Lukaku, 28, is one of the biggest names in European football but has scored just five Premier League goals since rejoining the Blues from Inter Milan last summer. He's been a the leader of Belgium's attack for more than a decade, scoring 68 goals in 101 caps.
Lukaku's form dipped after admitting he wasn't happy at Stamford Bridge. Since the controversial interview last Christmas - which he apologised for - he hasn't scored in the Premier League. He's also not started any of Chelsea's last five league games.
And now Martinez is refusing to guarantee Lukaku a starting spot in his Belgium team for this year's World Cup in Qatar, which starts in November. The former Everton and Wigan manager says he will assess the striker's situation after the summer transfer window.
"We are talking about players, like Romelu, who have got over 100 caps and are part of this group of players who know the national team inside out," Martinez told reporters.
"I’m not going to judge or assess the condition of any player until after the summer because it is not a normal situation. It is still seven months to the World Cup and probably you will go into the details of how a player feels when it gets closer to it than now.
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"But there will be a lot of players who change clubs or are going to feel in a different way in the summer. Romelu needs to be assessed on how he feels in September, the same way Eden Hazard does and some others. But he is one of the players for whom the summer could be a big moment for their careers."
On his relationship with Lukaku, Martinez added: "We always speak, I have a very close relationship with all my players. I would never tell a player what to do but we always share thoughts. At the moment Romelu is in a good place. He is so committed.
"He was delighted to win the Club World Cup and the next step is to finish the season strong with Chelsea and make sure he can feel very important."
As it stands, Lukaku will not be allowed to leave Chelsea this summer due to the sanctions imposed on owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian oligarch was punished by the UK government for allegedly having ties to Vladimir Putin, something which he denies.
Russia are waging a bloody and unprovoked war in Ukraine. Chelsea are operating under a special license, limiting their revenue streams. They cannot sell players, as the government fear the money generated from the transaction would fund Putin's war machine.
On Lukaku's future, Tuchel said: "We cannot sell and we cannot buy. Romelu still plays a big part in our plans. I feel him very motivated, very strong in training. Very much involved when we do the games... we need every single player and of course Romelu."
