Romelu Lukaku will be far from the field for an extended period due to a serious injury contracted during the summer friendly match against Olympiakos. The Belgian striker suffers from a significant tear of the femoral right muscle of the left thigh, a lesion which requires rigorous medical follow -up and an intensive rehabilitation protocol. According to the official Napoli press release, the player has already passed a series of in -depth tests at Pineta Grande Hospital and immediately started the first stages of his rehabilitation. The club also said that a surgical consultation is planned, leaving the possibility of an intervention open, which could further prolong its unavailability and impact the sports and tactical plans of the team led by Antonio Conte.
The first information from the Italian press is rather worrying for the Partenopei. Indeed, the Belgian star could thus miss the entire first season and return in 2026: “Following his injury during the match against Olympiakos, Romelu Lukaku suffered instrumental exams at Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a severe femoral muscle lesion of the left thigh. The player has already started his rehabilitation and will also pass a surgical consultation ”was he written in the official press release. The consequences are therefore serious: the Belgian may miss a large part of the first half of the season and may not return before the end of December. This could represent unavailability of up to three and a half months.
Lukaku excluded from lists?
Romelu Lukaku's injury represents a real headache for Naples and Antonio Conte, who counted on the Belgian striker as the main offensive reference. The duration of unavailability, which could lie down due to a possible operation, obliges the club to review its recruitment plans. With Lorenzo Lucca already integrated into the workforce, the leaders are looking for another striker capable of ensuring immediate rotation. The problem lies in the management of the list of players “over”, already almost complete, especially if the arrival of Gutierrez is formalized. In this context and according to information from Sky Italiathe possibility of excluding Lukaku temporarily from the official list is gaining momentum, because it would release a precious place without penalizing the immediate sporting operation of the team.
However, the choice to rule out Lukaku would not be without sporting and media consequences. The club could also opt for the exclusion of another less central player in the project, in order to keep the Belgian striker available for a return in the second half of the season. A more flexible alternative would be to bet on the arrival of a “under” player, like Diouf or Juanlu, both born in 2003 and therefore exempt from the constraints of the “Over” list. This strategy would allow Naples to strengthen its offensive sector without upsetting the balance of the workforce, while keeping a door open to Lukaku for a possible return as soon as it is set up. In the meantime, time is running out at the foot of Vesuvius since this information has had the effect of an eruption a few days before the great start of the new season of Serie A.
