This year, with a World Cup just a few months away, time really is of the essence. Jason Denayer would normally be one of the first picks for Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad pre-Qatar. The former Manchester City and Celtic man has accumulated no fewer than 22 international caps since the start of 2020 after all.
But unless he finds a new club before the so-called ‘Festival of Football’ gets underway in late-November, he’ll be watching Kevin de Bruyne and co take on Canada, Morocco and Croatia either from the bench, or the comfort of his own home.
“Denayer now trains without a team,” Martinez tells Het Nieuwsblad, explaining why the free-agent will not feature in this month’s UEFA Nations League fixtures.
“If you don’t play for your club, you can’t play for the national team. I mainly brought him in (to the squad) to see what his condition is. Because, in the past, he has been an important player for us.”
“We have his data and we want to help him. We want to make him feel like a footballer again. Because if you don’t have a club, you’re not a footballer.”
Could Wolves rescue Jason Denayer’s World Cup hopes?
Fortunately, Denayer is unlikely to be without a club for much longer. According to TEAMtalk, negotiations between the commanding central defender and Wolverhampton Wanderers are ongoing, with a number of other clubs across Europe showing an interest.
Denayer is not the sort of player you would often associate with having free-agent status at this stage of the season either. He is just 27, and thus approaching his prime. 12 months ago today, he was outstanding as Lyon won 2-0 away at eventual runners-up Rangers in the Europa League group-stages. During his time at Celtic, when he partnered a young Virgil van Dijk, Denayer was labelled an ‘unbelievable‘ talent by coach Ronny Deila.
This is a man with a lot left in the tank, and a lot still to offer.
“I know him very well,” Wolves coach Bruno Lage said a fortnight ago. “You are talking about a centre-back that I know very well. I played against him in the Champions League (with Benfica in 2019/20).
“We are talking about a player who has played in the Champions League and for his national team. Let’s see what can happen.
“If we have a chance to bring one experienced player to replace (Nottingham Forest’s Willy) Boly, it would be better.”
If Denayer wants to play a part in Belgium’s latest World Cup campaign, then an agreement must be reached sooner rather than later. Whether that be Wolves or some other team on the lookout for an experienced central defender.
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