Football
Mark Rodden 8y

Belgium doctor laments injuries, Kevin De Bruyne 'never reached his best'

Belgium's team doctor has lamented that so many players were hampered by injury during Euro 2016 and said that Kevin De Bruyne in particular had trouble reaching his top form.

Belgium started the tournament as the best team in Europe and ranked No. 2 in the world but they were beaten 3-1 by Wales in the quarterfinals.

"It's incredible the number of players who had little injuries," Kris Van Crombrugge told De Artsenkrant, according to La Derniere Heure. "It was a battle to survive in this competition.

"Mentally the batteries were recharged but physical fatigue got the upper hand."

Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne was not at his best during the tournament, having suffered a medial ligament injury before recovering to feature in France.

And Van Crombrugge said Belgium's staff had been worried about the former Wolfsburg player long before the tournament got underway.

"We firstly thought he was sick, judging by his performances during the friendly matches and training sessions," he said. "He wasn't. His form improved over the course of the matches but he never reached his best level."

Belgium lost their opening group match to Italy before recovering to beat Republic of Ireland and Sweden. Having swept past Hungary in the round of 16 they took the lead against Wales before suffering a shock defeat.

^ Back to Top ^