Sunderland defender misses out as Mark van Bommel announces first Belgium squad

Sunderland defender misses out as Mark van Bommel announces first Belgium squad Mark van Bommel has announced his first squad as the new head coach of the Belgian national side . There are a handful of omissions, some of which were known about before the announcement. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has been plagued with injuries in recent years, had already stated he wouldn’t make himself available for Nations League matches, but would be around for other more ‘important games’. While the Real Madrid star was expected to miss out, Sunderland defender Thomas Meunier is another of the ‘Golden Generation’ not to be called up by van Bommel. Despite being a regular for Sunderland so far this season, van Bommel has opted against including Meunier in his side. Instead, van Bommel has looked to Club Brugge defender Kyriani Sabbe, who joins the list of defenders in place of the Sunderland man. Without Courtois, the goalkeeping quartet is made up of Jari De Busser, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders and Maarten Vandevoordt, a very young group after the retirement of Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels. At the other end of the pitch, PSG forward Mika Godts is included. Many felt he was the major omission from Rudi Garcia’s World Cup side and there are hopes that he can be a real star for Belgium going forward. Malick Fofana, who joined Meunier at Sunderland during the transfer window, has also been included in the side. There is no Jeremy Doku given his current injury. In midfield, with Axel Witsel having retired, Mandela Keita is included. Andre Onana also misses out, with Romeo Lavia being another included in the list of midfielders. The more experienced trio of Kevin De Bruye, Youri Tielemans and Hans Vanaken have all returned. During the upcoming extended international break, Belgium will play Italy away, France and Türkiye and home and then France away on the 5th of October. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson