Lukaku ruled out of Belgium's Aviva Stadium visit
Romelu Lukaku has become the second big-name Belgium player to be ruled out of their Aviva Stadium clash with John O'Shea's Republic of Ireland this weekend.
Lukaku - currently on-loan at Roma from Chelsea - joins Belgium skipper and talisman Kevin De Bruyne on the sidelines for the March 23 fixture.
A statement from the Belgium camp on Tuesday morning confirmed his absence from the trip to Dublin.
"Romelu Lukaku is not fit for the game against the Rep. of Ireland due to a slightly overloaded groin. He left the camp but will travel with the team on Friday to the Rep. of Ireland and England."
Lukaku's absence leaves boss Domenico Tedesco - who last week penned a contract extension to the 2026 World Cup - without both his captain and vice-captain, having lost De Bruyne prior to the squad announcement, also to a groin injury.
Tedesco said on De Bruyne: "I don't know if there is a connection with his hamstring injury (but) now concerns a problem with the groin that he has been struggling with in recent matches."
"I spoke with the doctor and Kevin and we decided that the risk is too great. It is our responsibility to take into account the player, but also the player's team.
"It must make sense to call up a player. If he cannot play or train, it is our responsibility to protect him. It's better to give him time to recover well at City and then have him ready for the European Championship. We can't take any risks now, especially not with Kevin.”
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