Belgium legend Jan Ceulemans believes Michy Batshuayi would not have been in the conversation for a place in the World Cup squad had he stayed at Chelsea.
Struggling to earn game time and Antonio Conte’s confidence, Batshuayi joined Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window on a loan deal until the end of the season.
And the Belgian has taken to the Bundesliga like a duck to water, scoring five goals in seven appearances in all competitions for the BVB since joining them on deadline day.
Batshuayi is expected to make the cut for Belgium’s World Cup on current form, but Ceulemans feels had he stayed at Chelsea, the striker’s name wouldn’t have come up in the discussions.
The former Red Devil also added that Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku will remain Belgium’s go to man when it comes to playing someone up front in Russia in the summer.
relatedNewsStory
“Had Batshuayi still been at Chelsea, then perhaps we wouldn’t be talking about him”, Ceulemans told Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
“But he has been doing a great job at Dortmund.
“However, I still see Lukaku becoming our most dangerous man for the purpose [of the World Cup].”
Dortmund do not have an option to buy Batshuayi from Chelsea in the summer, but the BVB are expected to try and sign him on a permanent contract.
