Man Utd Star Romelu Lukaku Ruled Out of Belgium Game With Ongoing Ankle Injury

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku will be forced to sit out of Belgium's World Cup qualifier against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Saturday as a result of the ankle injury he has been carrying since before his last club appearance against Crystal Palace a week ago.

There were fears that Lukaku would be ruled out of United's win over Palace in the Premier League, but he played and scored in the 4-0 drubbing, before linking up with his international team-mates.

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Yet that ankle problem, which isn't thought to be serious, means that Lukaku hasn't travelled to Bosnia with the rest of the squad as he looks to recover. He does, however, remain in line to feature in the final qualifying fixture against Cyprus on Tuesday night.

Fortunately, for Belgium, their place at the World Cup in Russia was already secure after sealing top place in UEFA qualifying Group H during the last round of fixtures in August/September.

There is therefore no real pressure on Lukaku to rush himself through the recovery process, which would run the risk of further aggravating the problem.

United fans will be hoping that the 24-year-old, who has scored 11 times since joining in summer, returns for club duty fit and ready to play when domestic football resume in eight days.

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United face Liverpool at Anfield on 14th October in their biggest test of the season so far. Many have criticised Jose Mourinho's team and their wining start to the campaign because they are yet to play anyone currently in the top half of the Premier League.

The clash with fierce rivals Liverpool will be a chance to prove it doesn't matter who they face, but that United, after four years in the relative wilderness, are back.