Euro 2020: What next for aging, declining quarterfinalist Belgium?

Belgium – Players to Watch

We only got to see him in flashes – partly because of his speed – but Jeremy Doku did enough to provide some semblance of hope for the future.

The teenager was linked with Liverpool a couple of years ago, but has since moved to France, where he has filled in a Ralphinha-shaped hole at Stade Rennais. Doku had a quiet domestic campaign in 2020/21, but he announced his arrival at a world stage against Finland at the Euro.

With Dries Mertens in his mid-thirties and Eden Hazard perennially injured, Doku could be the one to take over the role of key attacking threat for Belgium in Qatar sixteen months from now.

Much of the emphasis was on Belgium’s defense at the Euro. The combined age of Anderweireld, Vermaelen, and Vertonghen did not make for pleasant reading for the fans.

Martinez did attempt a few variations in the group stage, with Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata coming in, but his decision to stick with his tried and tested backline for the big games spoke volumes.

Defense is an area the Red Devils need immediate reinforcements in. Zinho Vanheusden is one to keep an eye on, in that sense.

The Standard Liege center-back – soon to be of Inter Milan – has been in and around the Belgium national team in recent months and even made his debut for the Red Devils in late 2020.

The hope is that Vanheusden would be able to replace one of the aging sentinels of the Belgian defense by the time the World Cup rolls around.