ronaldo football kit After he left, Belgium had 10 minutes in which they played with Eden Hazard up front alongside Dries Mertens. Although the Napoli man features centrally at club level, Martinez will be unconvinced that he can do so for the national team given the ease with which Tunisia pressed the team back after Lukaku’s departure.

It wasn’t until Hazard was replaced by Michy Batshuayi – sensibly given Tunisia’s eagerness in the tackle – that Belgium again became the dominant force in possession.

Martinez throughout his tenure has attempted to forge this Belgium unit into one that resembles a club team. He is seeking fluency, he is seeking intuitive football with which his players are comfortable. And he is getting there for the most part. Not for the Spaniard the kind of chopping and changing that happens under Jorge Sampaoli at Argentina. There is a clarity of purpose and a proper definition of roles in the team.

Lukaku is no exception. He was roasted by captain Hazard after the Panama game for failing to put enough into the build-up. He will be under no illusions as to his centrality to the cause. Lukaku is the one dictating the press to his team-mates and he is responsible for the lay-offs and the runs.

It is abundantly clear that he is productive under personalised football shirts cheap Martinez – the manager who first signed him for Everton in 2013. He has scored 23 times in 20 caps under this coach – with 16 in his last 11 – and has clearly benefitted from the advice imparted to him by Thierry Henry, also on the Belgium coaching staff.