Roberto Martinez confirms Everton’s Romelu Lukaku wasn’t fit for Gibraltar match

 

Roberto Martinez has given a clue on the fitness of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. After Lukaku was left out of the Belgian side to face Gibraltar, rumours circulated that it may be because of injury rather than simply giving the player a rest.

Christian Benteke started instead, and scored after 7 seconds, then going on to complete a hat-trick, so Belgium didn’t suffer in any way. However, Everton will surely be concerned about their former manager’s comments after the match.

Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg have an interview with Martinez, and when asked why he went with Benteke rather than Lukaku, the manager said: “I chose Benteke, when I knew that Romelu would not be fit. Also Thorgan hazard was sadly not fit.”

Bad news for both Borussia Monchengladbach and Everton, who will both be hoping that any issues are as minor as can be, and the players don’t end up missing games for their clubs after international duty.

Everton face Manchester City away on Saturday, and would of course rather do so with Romelu Lukaku in the team.