Celtic defender was thrilled to start for Belgium in their latest international win.
Dedryck Boyata won a place in Belgium’s World Cup squad despite some shaky performances for Celtic this past season.
Having made the final 23, he is hoping to feature as a starter for the Red Devils at the World Cup.
He got his wish in their final pre-tournament friendly last night when he started as part of a back three.
Boyata played with both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, clubmates at Tottenham, and this appears to be his most viable route to starting, with them, instead of angling to replace either of them.
The Celtic ace spoke after the game to RTBF, and said he enjoys playing alongside the Spurs duo.
Boyata said: “I’m very happy. I had the opportunity to start today, it went really well. We all played really well, we have this result that allows us to go to Russia with a little more confidence. We played against a great team from Costa Rica who played directly.
“They have a lot of speed on the flanks. There was a lot of intensity at the beginning of the first period. Personally, I enjoy playing between Toby and Jan. We have worked hard since the beginning of the preparation so that everything is developed tactically.”
Playing alongside two defenders as experienced as Vertonghen and Alderweireld certainly makes Boyata’s job easier, although the trio’s game was not without fault.
A defensive mix-up in the first half allowed Costa Rica to score, but Belgium proved too strong, winning 4-1 to wrap up their World Cup preparations in style before they fly out to Russia.
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