I am too old,” replied Vertonghen de Bruyne.
Jan Vertonghen hit back at Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard after being criticized by the Belgian team for being too old and lacking defensive pace.
what's happened? Coach Roberto Martinez's team are struggling to reach the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup after losing 2-0 to Morocco. De Bruyne said this was because Belgium's top players were "too old" and the whole team was "getting old".
What they said: Vertonghen, who was part of that defense, told reporters after seeing the Red Devils keep a clean sheet and a clean sheet in their last game in Qatar in 2022. . We haven't created enough opportunities. We conceded the same goal twice at the near post.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Belgium boss Martinez has also been quizzed on pre-match comments that ultimately did his side few favours as they came unstuck against impressive African opponents: “This is the first time I’ve heard those comments from Kevin. At a World Cup, the players have to speak to the media every day, 90% of it will be positive but there are always one or two lines that don’t fit into the context. A player is allowed to air their view. We’ve been together for six years now and comments won’t help us to win. Maybe it was a double-bluff. It’s what happens behind the scenes that matters.”