Belgium name two replacements for injured skipper Kevin De Bruyne

BRUSSELS : Belgium have named two replacements for captain Kevin De Bruyne, who will miss their European Championship qualifiers against Austria and Estonia after suffering an injury in Saturday’s Champions League final.

The 20-year-old pair of Johan Bakayoko and Aster Vranckx have been promoted from the under-21 squad, the Belgian football association said on Monday, for the Group F games against Austria in Brussels on Saturday and away to Estonia on June 20.

It is a second call-up for PSV Eindhoven striker Bakayoko but a first for Vranckx, who plays for AC Milan.

De Bruyne, who would have captained the team in the Group F encounters, tore his hamstring in Manchester City’s victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.