Hendrik Van Crombrugge has been excluded from K.R.C. Genk for almost three months. The 33-year-old goalkeeper was told at the start of pre-season that he was no longer part of the plans of the Limburg club.
According to an interview published by Voetbalkrant.com on September 8, Van Crombrugge has been training individually at home since then. He follows a weekly training program provided by the club and continues to be paid. "I could choose between training with Jong Genk or training individually at home. I chose the latter. Genk is handling it very correctly," the keeper said.
What does this mean for his career?
Hendrik Van Crombrugge had actually decided that this would normally be his final professional season. That plan has now been completely upended. "I'm not super happy about it. It wasn't in my career planning this way, as far as such a thing exists," he admitted. He does not rule out changes in the coming weeks but stresses he planned to stop after this season anyway.
The experienced goalkeeper even received an offer from Saudi Arabia this summer. He declined it for family reasons. The main reason was the lack of a guarantee he would see his children regularly. Van Crombrugge questioned whether the contract would change his life and concluded it would not.
How does Genk's goalkeeper situation look?
K.R.C. Genk has clearly chosen a different path for the goalkeeping position. Lucca Brughmans remains in Limburg for another season after his transfer to Liverpool was completed. Also, the club signed Tobe Leysen this summer. Both keepers represent the future of the Limburg goalkeeping department according to the club's management.
Van Crombrugge remains under contract with K.R.C. Genk. He is currently completely out of the picture with the first team. The club sits seventh in the Jupiler Pro League with eight points from five games. They have scored twelve goals and conceded eight, resulting in a goal difference of plus four.
Where does Genk stand in the league?
The Limburg side trails leaders Gent by seven points. Their recent form has been mixed with a sequence of draw, win, draw, loss, and win. That sequence will soon be tested. The next fixture on the schedule is a home match against that same Gent, the current leaders. That confrontation is scheduled for September 13, 2026.
Fans can view the club's full calendar on our fixtures page. The current position in the standings can always be followed via standings. For an overview of all players, including the goalkeeper group, you can check the squad information.
Hendrik Van Crombrugge now waits to see what the coming weeks bring while K.R.C. Genk prepares for the top match against Gent.
