De Bruyne & Lukaku in Belgium squad after just 6 minutes played together at Napoli

Injury-ravaged Napoli stint leaves De Bruyne and Lukaku with just one club appearance together

The dream of finally sharing a club shirt appeared to have been realised last summer when Napoli added De Bruyne to their ranks, completing what Chelsea could not manage in 2013.

Instead, injuries to both men, Lukaku to his right quadriceps, De Bruyne to his left biceps femoris, both suffered between August and October, reduced their shared Napoli experience to a single cameo.

De Bruyne came on in the 79th minute against Torino on March 6, Lukaku followed in the 84th, six minutes of football together in a Napoli shirt. That is all there was.

Lukaku heads to the World Cup having played just 64 minutes of football this season, having also endured the death of his father and a reported falling-out with coach Antonio Conte.

De Bruyne arrives after a second operation on the same muscle in just over two years. Between them they have 68 years of age and enough shared football history to fill a career.

In the twilight years of their careers, this American summer may represent their final World Cup together, and perhaps the stage where they finally deliver the moments their Napoli partnership never could.