Napoli, Lukaku on the mend: Conte plans his return | OneFootball

Napoli is about to receive an early Christmas gift. Romelu Lukaku, who has been out for over a hundred days following the injury sustained in the unfortunate friendly match on August 14 against Olympiacos, is now close to returning.

Napoli, Lukaku sees the light: Conte prepares the return and…

Antonio Conte, who has always considered him one of his ideal players, has monitored every phase of his recovery and now sees the moment of his return approaching.

A wait that is coming to an end

The Napoli coach has experienced these months as a long countdown. Lukaku, in recent weeks, has made concrete progress, enough to finally set a plausible date for his return.

He will not be available for the Roma match nor for the Coppa Italia clash against Cagliari on December 3. However, attention is shifting towards December 7, when Juventus will arrive at the Maradona. This will be the first opportunity to test the striker's condition, with the possibility of gradually integrating him into the field.

Benfica-Napoli: the match that could mark the return

The real goal, however, is the Champions League away match against José Mourinho's Benfica, scheduled three days later. A game that could be crucial for qualification and that, symbolically, would have particular significance.

The Da Luz could be the perfect stage to see Lukaku back at the center of the attack, once again the linchpin of Conte's play. In a Napoli that, while remaining competitive, has shown evident limits in the offensive phase, the absence of the Belgian has weighed more than expected, despite the arrival of Hojlund.

The Champions list and the possibility of a change

The inclusion of Lukaku in the UEFA list is not a remote possibility. The regulations allow for the replacement of a player in case of a serious injury, and both De Bruyne and Anguissa will remain unavailable until February. The spot freed by one of them could thus allow Big Rom to become a protagonist in Europe again.

Gradual but decisive return

Conte, always methodical in managing recoveries, does not want to take risks. The goal is to bring Lukaku back on the field without dangerous accelerations, building a progressive playing time path to avoid relapses. Only in this way can the coach once again rely on his most reliable offensive reference.

Lukaku is not just a goal scorer, but a cog that changes the face of the team. For Conte, he represents much more than just a striker: he is the element that completes his game system, the diamond that adds brilliance to the entire offensive structure.

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