Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has said that Michy Batshuayi has boosted his chances of being in the Red Devils squad for the 2018 World Cup following his January move to Borussia Dortmund.
Batshuayi scored 10 times for Chelsea in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign, but a lack of starts saw the forward join Dortmund on loan in the final stages of the winter window.
The 24-year-old has scored three times in three appearances for Dortmund since moving to the Bundesliga, and Martinez has claimed that the striker's World Cup hopes have been boosted by the mid-season switch.
"To play at a World Cup is a unique moment in your career, so you have to be able to play and perform at club level in order to be in that squad," Martinez told talkSPORT.
"For Michy Batshuayi, it's not about staying in the Premier League, it's about finding a club where you can have a big role and you can feel you have an influence in the team.
"Michy was always ready at Chelsea, but the competition was really strong in that number nine role. He has gone to Borussia Dortmund and as a striker you need to score that first goal as quickly as you can, he scored two in his debut.
"You can see he is happy, free and sometimes a move in the winter window gives you that. For Michy, it's given him a very strong opportunity to be in the World Cup squad because of the environment he's found."
Batshuayi has scored five times in 11 appearances for the Belgium national team.
Matt Law
