Should Domenico Tedesco go with Loïs Openda over Romelu Lukaku at Euro 2024? | OneFootball

As the majority of European football seasons south of Scandinavia begin to wind down, eyes are beginning to turn to Germany and Euro 2024 this summer. For Belgium, the golden generation is gone, but there is still plenty of talent in a squad that could be considered dark horses. For the past number of tournaments, Romelu Lukaku has been the clear first choice when it comes to strikers. Yet for this tournament, the nations leading scorer may have to make way for another up and coming forward.

Lukaku has spent this year on loan at Roma, where he has scored 20 goals in 46 games. 12 of these have come in Serie A, with another seven in the Europa League. Yet he is not the top scoring Belgian in Europe’s big leagues this season. Over in Germany, Loïs Openda has been on fire for RB Leipzig. The 24-year-old has scored 28 goals in 44 games, with 24 of these coming in the Bundesliga. His other four goals came in the Champions League. Openda has also grabbed four assists.

Openda looks like the obvious choice to replace Lukaku long-term for Belgium, but some may question whether or not that transition could begin this summer at Euro 2024. At the previous major tournament, it was clear that Lukaku was not fully fit and it severely hampered Belgium. At least at this tournament the pressure on Lukaku to be the main man will be lessened by the emergence of Openda.

It is now down to the sides head coach Domenico Tedesco to decide whether he will go with the old reliable or try something new. Alternatively, is there a way that Tedesco can bring the two together to form a potent strike partnership?

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson