Mika Godts eyed by Manchester United poised for Belgium bow following first senior summons
The 20 year old winger has excelled this campaign for Ajax boasting 14 goals alongside 9 assists, establishing him as the Eredivisies top performer in goal involvements. Godts form has seemingly drawn interest from Manchester United, with reports indicating they reached out to Ajax at the start of this week.
Godts turned down invitations to Belgiums Under 21 side in previous selections, yet he has now persuaded García to display his skills in the forthcoming friendlies versus the United States and Mexico: His figures and displays are notable for a side that is not performing at its peak. He remains youthful; this represents the ideal opportunity to observe him live, García commented
Coach Rudi García has also extended initial senior invitations to 17 year old Anderlecht talent Nathan de Cat and Saint Étienne forward Lucas Stassin. The towering De Cat, standing at 1.92m, has featured in 44 outings for Anderlechts first team and serves as a key figure in the Mauves engine room.
Stassin moved to the incoming Ligue 1 club ASSE from Westerlo in 2024 and has netted 7 times in Ligue 2 over the course of this term, including a trio in his most recent three appearances.
We primarily chose individuals who took part in the majority of the qualification fixtures, yet this also provides the final opportunity for several newcomers especially the younger ones to demonstrate their potential, García stated at Fridays media briefing.
Talent transcends age, García noted regarding De Cat. I debuted Eden Hazard young at Lille and similarly with Rayan Cherki at Lyon. De Cat possesses strong athleticism and has started 34 games for Anderlecht this season. To earn a spot in the national side, one must accumulate playing time.
García expressed particular interest in watching Lucas Stassin perform, adding He has just earned promotion to Ligue 1 alongside Saint Étienne and is getting consistent minutes.
Wout Faes from AS Monaco, Romeo Lavia of Chelsea, and Charles Vanhoutte at Nice were all omitted despite initial inclusion in the provisional group.
Belgium will take on the United States in Atlanta GA on March 28th, followed by a clash with Mexico three days afterwards on March 31st in Chicago IL.
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig)
Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Koni De Winter (Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Midfielders: Kevin de Bruyne (Napoli), Nathan De Cat (Anderlecht), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Sevilla)
Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Mika Godts (Ajax), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Loïs Openda (Juventus), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan), Lucas Stassin (Saint-Étienne), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)