The Napoli striker claimed that senior players within the squad believed the Arsenal legend was the ideal candidate to take over, citing his experience as assistant coach.
Despite this internal preference, the role ultimately went to Domenico Tedesco.
Lukaku did not hold back in his assessment of the former coaching setup, suggesting that Tedesco’s tactical approach was never aligned with the squad’s expectations and was “destined for failure” from the outset.
"We were spoken to in Qatar, after the draw against Croatia (which knocked Belgium out of the group stage). Everyone was saying: 'Henry is the one we need.' He was going to hold us accountable for our mistakes. When you aim for the top, you don't want people constantly stroking your ego," he told La Dernière Heure.
"There was a tactical plan that just wasn't going to work. As a player, you feel that. Ask Kev (De Bruyne). You tell yourself: this isn't going to work out.
"Many of the young players in our core squad knew it too. But they didn't say anything, out of fear of being dropped to the bench. That caused a lot of frustration."