Belgium coach Roberto Martinez says absence of the “irreplaceable” Romelu Lukaku from the World Cup would force his side to change the way they play, but the striker has not been ruled out of the tournament yet, team officials confirmed.

Lukaku is struggling with a hamstring injury having only recently returned from two months on the sidelines and is a doubt for the finals in Qatar, with Belgium opening their tournament against Canada on November 23.

But team doctor Kristof Sas has described the latest injury as a “setback” rather than a fatal blow to the player’s World Cup chances.

“It is not yet a line through the issue, but it is a setback for the player himself, his club and the Red Devils (Belgium national team),” Sas was quoted by HLN.

Martinez spoke about the importance of Lukaku in his side.

“At the Red Devils, he is irreplaceable,” Martinez told Nieuwsblad. “Every national team has irreplaceable players.

“With us it’s Courtois, De Bruyne and Lukaku. You cannot replace them one on one. If Lukaku is not there, maybe we should play with more attackers.”