Belgium's Euro 2024 Squad Revealed: Courtois Excluded
Belgium has unveiled its provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2024, notably excluding Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku headline the selection, while surprise inclusions feature Atletico Madrid's Axel Witsel, who returns after retiring from international duty last year.
The squad showcases a strong presence of Premier League talents, including Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), and Amadou Onana (Everton), among others. Noteworthy is the absence of Courtois, who, despite recovering from an ACL injury and participating in the Champions League final, has been omitted by head coach Domenico Tedesco.
Tedesco's decision comes after Courtois was reported to have declined participation in previous squad events and amid concerns over his readiness for the European Championships. The goalkeeping duties will be shouldered by Wolfsburg's Koen Casteels, Luton's Thomas Kaminski, and Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels.
Belgium, spearheaded by record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku, find themselves in Group E alongside Romania, Ukraine, and Slovakia. They commence their campaign against Slovakia in Frankfurt on June 17th.
The squad, subject to potential adjustments until UEFA's June 7th deadline, is as follows:
Goalkeepers:
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton)
Defenders:
Wout Faes (Leicester), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)
Midfielders:
Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Amadou Onana (Everton)
Forwards:
Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Lois Openda (Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab)
