Kevin De Bruyne to play on with Belgium despite squad refresh

Kevin De Bruyne has been included in Belgium's squad for next week’s Nations League matches but Romelu Lukaku was omitted after asking for time off to concentrate on getting fit after his move to Napoli, said coach Domenico Tedesco.

There had been much speculation about the international future of the 33-year-old De Bruyne, who had complained about a potentially exhausting season with multiple commitments ahead for both his club Manchester City and the Belgian side.

But Tedesco, while omitting several regulars to open the way for younger players, said De Bruyne was essential to his plans of bringing on a younger generation during the six matches of Nations League Group A2 between September and November.

Belgium start against Israel on 6 September in a match that has been moved from Brussels to Debrecen in Hungary because of security concerns, and then face France in Lyon three days later.

"We have these six months now till we start the qualification for the World Cup to try something. We can bring in fresh players to test a little bit, see how they’re going to perform and to give them the stage," Tedesco said.

As a result, Yannick Carrasco, Leonardo Trossard and Axel Witsel have been dropped - after the coach called them to explain his plans - but he said they might yet be called up again in the future.

"We know their qualities so we can try others now. But Kevin [De Bruyne] is an exception. Kevin is our captain and I think that around Kevin we can let grow these young players," Tedesco said.

Lukaku, whose move from Chelsea to Napoli was finalised on Thursday, had asked for time off to work on his fitness but was expected back later in the year, the coach added.

There was a first call-up for 18-year-old Julien Duranville from