The Brussels native will celebrate his 23rd birthday far from Russia. He made his mark during the qualifying campaign for Euro 2016, including a brilliant start against Wales, and has not appeared in the Belgian jersey since his elimination in France against the same Welsh side.
The former Celtic Glasgow player, who had been sent off after Vermaelen and Vertonghen’s absence for the quarter-finals, had been singled out for not being able to hold his opponents. A first big missed date that was going to leave its mark.
Lent by Manchester City to Sunderland after the Euro, Denayer struggled to straighten the bar, playing in a team that stagnated in the red zone and left the Premier League.
A change of environment was necessary for the Brussels native, who was returning to Galatasaray, the club where he had won before being included in Marc Wilmots’ list. His return to Turkey was not a direct success, but he was able to gain in versatility by evolving several times as a back. And his season ended perfectly.
Although he had to wait until he regained the eleven after his injury in February, the former Jean-Marc Guillou Academy product did not miss a minute of the 18 out of 18 produced by Galatasaray at the end of the championship, even beating direct competitors to offer himself the title. all while signing four clea-sheets in six games.
His good record was not enough to pass Ciman, Kabasele, or Dedryck Boyaya in the 28 of Martinez (coach of the Belgian team), but Jason Denayer showed that he was on the right track. If he continued like this, he could quickly find the national team.
