Courtois had reportedly said after the World Cup that he wanted a break from international football. Van Bommel suggested that view could have changed, but made clear he wants to hear it directly from the player.
“Perhaps he has already revised his opinion. As soon as he is back in full training, we will fly there and talk,” he said.
That is a careful start to a sensitive issue. Courtois remains one of Belgium’s most important players, and the new coach will want clarity without turning a personal decision into a public standoff. A direct conversation may not guarantee the goalkeeper’s return, but it gives both sides room to explain their position.
Van Bommel also addressed why he accepted the Belgium role rather than waiting to see whether the Netherlands job might become available. “Did I want to wait for the Dutch national team? No, not at all. I didn't even think about that,” he said.
The account says he described coaching a national team as an attractive opportunity to work with a country’s strongest players. He also framed winning as the standard for his tenure, while avoiding a promise of a trophy.
The first test is already on the calendar: the report says Van Bommel’s opening match will be against Italy in Rome on 25 September, in the Nations League. Before then, the Courtois talks could offer the clearest early sign of how the new coach intends to handle Belgium’s biggest decisions.