World Cup 2018: Belgium manager Roberto Martinez defends Kevin De Bruyne for horror tackle on Adnan Januzaj
Manchester City star cleaned out his team-mate with a dangerous sliding challenge during training
ROBERTO MARTINEZ has defended Kevin De Bruyne for his horror tackle on Adnan Januzaj.
The Manchester City midfielder cleaned up his Belgium team-mate with a dangerous sliding challenge during the team’s first training session in Moscow on Thursday.
Januzaj was left in a heap on the floor and was limping for a few minutes before later running it off.
But manager Martinez insists De Bruyne’s action was exactly what he wants to see before Belgium’s first World Cup match against Panama on Monday.
The Red Devils boss said: “In a natural way, it shows you that it matters.
“We are in a moment of our preparation that winning a little small-sided game matters, there is a winning feeling in the group.
“You don’t want to hurt anyone. But now you can see an intensity in training that is a match intensity.
“It is something we have been working on, without things getting out of control.
“This is the tempo that we need in order to prepare for the games.”
Belgium face England in what could be a group decided on Thursday 28 June.