With Romelu Lukaku struggling for fitness at Inter Milan, Roberto Martinez’s mood would have been improved no end by the sight of two of his other attacking options finding form just weeks out from the World Cup.
Lois Openda and Michy Batshuayi are both jostling for a seat on the plane to Qatar. And, after this weekend, the Belgian duo can probably afford to start dusting off their passports and packing their bags. Because anything Openda can do, Batshuayi can do better.
The former scored a hat-trick as Lens battered Ligue 1 rivals Toulouse on Friday night. Less than 48 hours later, Batshuayi went one step further. While scoring a treble of his own during Fenerbahce’s 5-2 thumping of Istanbulspor, he also grabbed an assist; the glacier cherry sitting atop a very tasty cake.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea’s 29-year-old forgotten man came within seconds of putting pen to paper at Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Premier League window in September. After that move collapsed – the requisite documents were not completed in time – the well-travelled Batshuayi embarked upon yet another loan spell instead, joining Fenerbahce on a short-term deal.
And Forest’s loss is most certainly Fener’s gain.
Michy Batshuayi surely secures World Cup spot with Fenerbahce form
“It is a great feeling for me to score goals and assists,” Batshuayi tells Yenicag.
“The most important thing is to bring victory to the team. The coach (Jorge Jesus) always trains us on what he wants to do and we try to understand him. We try to implement what he wants on the field and we fight for each other.”
Batshuayi, two months into his Fenerbahce career, has eight goals in 11 games already. The same ammount as Nottingham Forest’s entire squad have managed between them in 2022/23.
At least, if Lukaku arrives in Qatar rusty and low on confidence, Martinez will have one of Europe’s most in-form centre-forwards to call upon.
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