Striker cost Benfica a fortune, but Bruno Lage can’t count on him | OneFootball

Dodi Lukebakio is injured and will have to delay his debut for Benfica. Signed from Sevilla on the last day of the summer market, the Belgian international has an edema in the soleus muscle of his right leg, which will be treated during the international break.

The structure of the eagles was aware of the player's physical problem, but, regardless of the injuries, closed the deal with the Andalusians. The newspaper O Jogo points out that the injury is "seen as normal at Luz", but will condition the forward for three to four weeks.

Therefore, Lukebakio will, with great certainty, miss the reception of Benfica by Bruno Lage to Santa Clara, scheduled for September 12, or the first duel of the Champions League phase, against Qarabag, on the 16th of the same month.

What is certain is that the player will take advantage of this international break to recover, since he was left out of Rudi Garcia's call-up for Belgium's upcoming commitments, which faces Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan - on September 4 and 7, respectively -, in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Dodi Lukebakio was one of the most influential pieces of Sevilla in recent seasons. In the current sports season, the right-winger - valued at 20 million euros - has played two official matches, both for La Liga. In the 180 minutes he was on the pitch, the number 10 scored a goal.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.