Injured Lukaku to miss Napoli's season opener
Napoli have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their Serie A opener against Sassuolo, with Romelu Lukaku missing out.
Romelu Lukaku will miss the start of Napoli's Serie A title defence after sustaining a thigh injury in his side's final pre-season friendly.
Napoli beat Olympiacos 2-1 on Friday, thanks to goals from Matteo Politano and Lorenzo Lucca, but lost Lukaku to injury in the first half.
The forward went down after taking a shot and limped off the pitch just over half an hour into the game after receiving treatment.
Napoli confirmed that he had suffered a "high-grade" injury to his left thigh, and though it did not say how long he would be out, early reports suggest he could be sidelined until November.
the club also added that he "will undergo a surgical consultation" to determine whether he will need to have a procedure.
Lukaku was Napoli's top scorer last season, netting 14 goals as he helped it win the Scudetto, while he also had more assists than any other player in Serie A.
The Belgian was the only player in Italy's top-flight to hit double figures with both goals and assists.
He got his 10 assists from 35 chances created and outperformed his 2.6 expected assists.
Napoli begins their 2025-2026 campaign away to Sassuolo on Sunday.
