Brussels (AFP)

Twenty-six Belgians selected for the Euro, with Axel Witsel but not Marouane Fellaini: the coach of Belgium, the Spaniard Roberto Martinez, unveiled on Monday a list of the Red Devils without major surprises except the "bet" Witsel, recovering.

In this list led by the stars Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard or Romelu Lukaku, Roberto Martinez exploited the possibility offered by UEFA to bring 26 players, instead of 23, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic .

Which benefited the defensive midfielder of Borussia Dortmund.

Operated for a ruptured Achilles tendon in January, Witsel resumed racing a few days ago but is not yet certain of being fit in time for the European Championship.

However, Martinez wished to include it in his selection: "with a selection enlarged to 26 players (instead of 23, Editor's note), I can take this risk. For the moment we are observing it day by day and not let's wait for nothing at first. Let's wait for the start of the tournament. It's a bet ".

Fellaini, who has not played with the Red Devils since the 2018 World Cup and his departure for the Chinese championship, will not come out of his international retirement.

A moment tipped to compensate for a possible package from Witsel, it is not part of the selection.

"Marouane has not played for the national team for almost three years. It's a long time at this high level of competition. In my reflection, I preferred to opt for continuity," explained Martinez.

- Hazard "in excellent condition" -

Its leaders will be Courtois ("exceptional with Real", according to the manager), De Bruyne ("phenomenal this season"), Lukaku and Eden Hazard, although the latter is chasing form after two difficult years at Real Madrid.

Martinez, however, wants to be optimistic about his master to play: "He is in condition as he has not been for a long time. Physically, he is really + fit +", rejoiced the Spanish coach.

"We hope he will end the season well with Real before finding, with the national team, an environment that will allow him to have a good tournament. The environment is important. And Eden is our captain. We have a lot of hope, ”Martinez continued.

The latter also took the risk of selecting only five central defenders while his base eleven cut in 3-5-2 requires starting three.

Knowing the physical fragility of Thomas Vermaelen, a Belgian journalist worried about the low number of defenders selected.

"Don't worry about Thomas or the others. My five defenders are all in excellent condition," replied Martinez, who also asked eleven reservists to be ready in the event of a last-minute withdrawal from one of the 26 lucky ones. elected.

There is in particular the striker of Real Sociedad Adnan Januzaj, however used to evolve with the Red Devils.

The final list must be officially submitted to UEFA by 1 June at the latest.

In the group stage of the Euro, Belgium (group B) will be opposed successively to Russia (June 12), Denmark (June 17) and Finland (June 21).

Players will gather on May 31 to prepare for the competition.

Before diving into this Euro, the Devils will face Greece in a friendly match on June 3 and Croatia on June 6.

The selection of Belgium (26 players):

Goalkeepers (3): Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid / ESP), Simon Mignolet (FC Bruges), Matz Sels (Strasbourg / FRA)

Defenders (5): Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham / ENG), Dedryck Boyata (Hertha Berlin / GER), Jason Denayer (Lyon / FRA), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica / POR), Thomas Vermaelen (Vissel Kobe / JPN)

Midfielders and full-backs (11): Timothy Castagne (Leicester / ENG), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid / ESP), Nacer Chadli (Istanbul Basaksehir / TUR), Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton / ENG), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City / ENG), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund / GER), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund / GER), Dennis Praet (Leicester / ENG), Youri Tielemans (Leicester / ENG), Hans Vanaken (FC Bruges), Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund / GER)

Forwards (7): Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace / ENG), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace / ENG), Jérémy Doku (Rennes / FRA), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid / ESP), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan / ITA), Dries Mertens (Naples / ITA), Leandro Trossard (Brighton / ENG)

Reservists (11): Thomas Kaminski (Blackburn / ENG), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan / ITA), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Anderlecht), Bryan Heynen (RC Genk), Thomas Foket (Reims / FRA), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad / ESP), Brandon Mechele (FC Bruges), Jordan Lukaku (Antwerp), Zinho Vanheusden (Standard de Liège), Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht), Charles De Ketelaere (FC Bruges).

© 2021 AFP