Belgium manager Rudi Garcia claims Mike Penders would benefit from joining KRC Genk on loan in the summer window if Chelsea can’t assure him the No.1 spot next season.
At the start of this year, Belgium appointed Garcia as their new manager and played two matches under his orders.
Saturday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg has published a detailed chat with the manager, who also discussed the Chelsea player.
Last summer, Chelsea completed the signing of the goalkeeper and let him continue this season at the Jupiler Pro League side.
On April 2nd. Genk technical director Dimitri De Condé publicly expressed desire to retain the 19-year-old beyond this season. He also stated the Blues will have the final say.
Three days later, the Belgium U21 international explained all options are open when asked about the possibility of staying at Genk.
Garcia backs Penders to have bright future when asked about both him and Royal Antwerp stopper Senne Lammens.
“We selected Lammens last time, but Penders will also wear the shirt of the Red Devils one day. That’s for sure. I see a great future for Mike, also with the national team, and I’m not saying that because he stopped a penalty on Wednesday,” he said.
“Many of those good goalkeepers come from Genk, right? Because I can’t forget Maarten Vandevoordt. Genk is also known for its great goalkeeper training. Very impressive.”
The newspaper then specifically asked the national team manager what advice he would give to Penders for next season and whether he’ll get a chance at Chelsea.
“I recently talked about that with Dimitri de Condé,” Garcia explained.
“If Mike were to become a regular at Chelsea, that would be fantastic of course. But a loan, for example to KRC Genk, is also an excellent option. Especially if Genk were to succeed in getting a Champions League ticket for next season.”
