Van Bommel’s Lukaku explanation puts pressure on Jorge Jesus over Ronaldo row

Mark van Bommel has highlighted the contrast between his handling of Romelu Lukaku and Jorge Jesus’ management of Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Portugal captain left his team’s camp amid a dispute over his playing time.

Ronaldo returned to Madrid on Wednesday following a disagreement with Jesus over his omission from Portugal’s Nations League group-stage match against Norway. The forward had reportedly expected to feature, but did not play in the second-round fixture.

A similar situation has developed within Belgium’s squad under Van Bommel, although the disagreement involving Lukaku has been less serious. The Fenerbahce striker played only the final seven minutes of normal time in Belgium’s opening Nations League match against Italy before remaining on the bench throughout the second-round meeting with France.

Van Bommel addressed Lukaku’s situation at his news conference before Belgium’s match against Turkey on Friday, their third fixture in the group stage. He said he had been in contact with the striker to explain his current position within the team.

“Romelu (Lukaku) can play as a substitute or as a starter, but it depends on what we believe we need at any stage or in any situation we find ourselves in,” the Dutch manager said, in comments reported by Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad.

He added: “But I have never promised a player that he will play. You can say the chances are high, but there are no promises.”

The remarks were widely shared on social media, with users criticising Jesus after he acknowledged promising Ronaldo minutes against Norway before changing his decision because the circumstances were not suitable.

Van Bommel also explained why he chose not to use Lukaku against France.

“He has certain qualities, but I felt that in that match against France we were a little too far from the goal, which meant we could have made better use of speed,” he said.

“I speak to Romelu a lot. I also went to see him in Istanbul, and we spoke on FaceTime about the situation and the way we play. I do not want to say that Romelu cannot do it; quite the opposite. The only obstacle is that he does not play much for Fenerbahce.”

Van Bommel said Lukaku’s exclusion was not a reflection of his performances in training.

“I also explained to him that I chose speed, not because he is performing badly. He is training well, but the decision is not based simply on good training sessions, or the opposite,” he said.

“It may seem like a bigger issue from your side,” he added, addressing the media, “but there is no need to look for any hidden reasons behind it.”