Vermaelen returns to Belgium squad

Thomas Vermaelen has been recalled to the Belgium squad for their Euro 2016 qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus.

The former Arsenal man has only played once for his country since the start of 2014, having suffered an injury-ravaged start to his Barcelona career that saw him miss almost all of last season.

But the 29-year-old has enjoyed a return to form in recent weeks and that has been reflected by his first call-up in over a year.

Belgium are second in Group B with 11 points – three behind leaders Wales – and host Bosnia-Herzegovina on September 3 before travelling out to Cyprus three days later.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Jean-Francois Gillet (Mechelen), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Jason Denayer (Manchester City), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Nacer Chadli (Tottenham), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Moussa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Axel Witsel (Zenit)

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Marseille), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Divock Origi (Liverpool)