“If we don’t do it now, we never will”

Matte Smets had already been able to taste the A core in September by troubleshooting during training. He is then part of the U21 selection, just like Fofana. “Smets is a talented kid and I wanted to see him with us at this camp. It will be interesting to work with him. It’s the same thing for Fofana who is in great form in Lyon and who scored another double yesterday (Thursday, editor’s note.) But I had already made my decision before that,” smiles the coach.

For Tedesco, “Ngonge is the biggest surprise” of his selection. The striker doesn’t have much to say in Naples despite a double in the Italian Cup. “He doesn’t play much but he was impressive in the Cup match. He has the advantage of being able to play both as a center forward and on both flanks.

As for Vandevoordt, he replaces Kaminski, absent for personal reasons. “We thought it was the right time for Maarten to join us. He gained experience in the Jupiler Pro League and European Cup with Genk. He is in a difficult situation at Leipzig but he was very happy when he learned of his selection. We are sending him a signal.