Napoli: Conte to rest Lukaku in league, unleash him in Saudi Arabia | OneFootball

The away match in Udine will still come too soon to see Romelu Lukaku back at the center of Napoli’s attack. According to reports from Area Napoli, Napoli’s medical and technical staff have opted for a cautious approach: the Belgian striker, sidelined since last August, will not take part in Sunday’s clash at the “Bluenergy Stadium.”

No Udine for Lukaku: Conte won’t take risks, Big Rom’s sights set on the Supercoppa

Despite missing out on the league match, optimism is palpable in the Napoli camp. Big Rom’s condition is clearly improving, and that phrase he whispered to reporters at Castel Volturno before the match against Benfica—“See you soon”—now sounds like a promise kept. The long layoff seems to be behind him, and Antonio Conte is counting down the days until he can welcome back his “trusted man,” the player who has been most missed in the tactical setup at the start of this season and who was decisive in last year’s Scudetto triumph.

If Udine is the present to skip, the immediate future is called the Italian Super Cup. The scenario taking shape in recent hours is an exciting one: calling up Lukaku for the trip to Saudi Arabia and giving him his first minutes right in the big match against Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan. It would not, of course, be a starting spot right away, but rather a segment of the match to get fuel back in his legs and regain match rhythm in a competitive context. Conte knows that with the Belgian on the pitch, everything changes: Lukaku’s physicality, ball protection, and depth are weapons Napoli can’t wait to unleash again to lift the first trophy of the season.

Andrea Alati

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.