Belgium Officially Announce 23-Man World Cup Squad as Crystal Palace Star Misses Out

​​Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke was the highest profile casualty as Roberto Martinez announced his 23-man squad for Belgium's World Cup campaign.

Benteke's omission comes off the back of a disappointing Premier League season, in which the 27-year-old netted only three goals in 30 appearances. His lack of form has seen Martinez instead plump for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi among his striking options, with the ​Borussia Dortmund loanee having won his fitness battle after recent injury.

​Premier League stars who did make the cut include Batshuayi's Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard, ​Tottenham trio Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.

The squad also features ​Manchester United duo Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini, with ​Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois and ​Liverpool's Simon Mignolet among the three goalkeepers taking their seat on the plane.

​Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will lead the squad to Russia, despite the three-time Premier League winner once again suffering a recurrence of his injury problems.

Full Squad

Goalkeepers - Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg)

Defenders - Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Dedrick Boyata (Celtic), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain)

Midfielders - Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Youri Tielemans (AS Monaco), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Thorgan Hazard (Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad)

Forwards - Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

The Red Devils will head into the tournament hoping to impress, with many expecting great things fMartinez's talented young squad. The former​Evertonboss will be hopeful that his team meet expectations, with pressure mounting on his shoulders following the controversial decision to omit Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan from the squad.