'We need Thierry Henry' - Romelu Lukaku reveals Belgium players wanted ex-Arsenal striker to replace Roberto Martinez as he lambasts Domenico Tedesco

In a revealing assessment of the internal dynamics within the Belgian national team, Lukaku has confirmed that the senior players had a specific successor in mind when Martinez stepped down after the 2022 World Cup. Despite the eventual appointment of Tedesco, the dressing room had made their voices heard regarding Arsenal and France legend Henry, who had previously served as an assistant coach for the Red Devils during both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns.

Lukaku explained that the squad wanted a figure who could challenge them and maintain the high standards set during their time as one of the world's top-ranked nations. "We were spoken to in Qatar, after the draw against Croatia [which knocked Belgium out of the group stage]. Everyone was saying: 'Henry is the one we need.' He was going to hold us accountable for our mistakes. When you aim for the top, you don't want people constantly stroking your ego," the striker told La Dernière Heure.

Belgium’s exit at the hands of France in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 was seen as a major disappointment, following an uninspiring group stage that included a stalemate with Ukraine. Lukaku suggests that the players on the pitch knew the tactical instructions provided by Tedesco were not suited to the task at hand, leading to a sense of inevitable failure during the tournament in Germany.

"There was a tactical plan that just wasn't going to work. As a player, you feel that. Ask Kev [De Bruyne]. You tell yourself: this isn't going to work out," Lukaku admitted. "Many of the young players in our core squad knew it too. But they didn't say anything, out of fear of being dropped to the bench. That caused a lot of frustration."

Lukaku was particularly vocal about the abrupt change in philosophy and atmosphere following the end of the Martinez era. Under the Spaniard, a golden generation enjoyed a prolonged period of dominance and high-scoring victories, highlighted by their historic run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. It is a level of confidence that Lukaku feels has been stripped away in the previous setup, with the stark contrast in dressing room vibe before games appearing to be a major point of contention for the nation's all-time leading goalscorer.

"Under Roberto Martinez, we would walk into the dressing room before a match and the question was: how many goals are we going to score today? I assure you, that is literally what we used to say," Lukaku said. "Martinez would tell us where the spaces would open up, and we would win 3-0, 5-0, 8-1. Fast, sharp, just like that. You play like that for five years straight. And then, boom, clean slate."

The striker also touched upon the initial skepticism that greeted Tedesco’s appointment. He detailed how players performed their own background checks on the manager and identified potential issues before he had even taken charge of his first training session. According to Lukaku, the sudden exclusion of veteran figures only added to the sense of disorientation within the camp.

"When a manager arrives whom we, the players, don't know, we go fishing for information. I assure you that's how it happens. We make phone calls. And we find things out. There were question marks right from the start," he confessed. Reflecting on the squad overhaul, he added: "At the first international break [under Tedesco], Thibaut [Courtois] and I looked around and couldn't see anyone from the old team anymore. It was a shock. Was that the right way to go about things?"