A fresh Kevin De Bruyne is essential to Belgium’s cause at next month’s European Championship and coach Roberto Martinez is therefore sending him on holiday before the tournament starts. Belgium start pre-tournament preparations on May 31 and play friendlies against Greece on June 3 and Croatia on June 6. De Bruyne has struggled with several injuries this season and lashed out previously at the toll players face with an increasingly demanding fixture schedule. Belgium, top of the Fifa rankings for the last three years, are one of the favourites for the European title. Football clubs have lost millions of euros worth of matchday revenue while games have been played behind closed doors.

Source: The Star May 18, 2021 21:00 UTC