CanMNT World Cup hopeful Luc De Fougerolles takes a calculated risk with F.C.V. Dender loan
Yet another CanMNT player is heading to Belgium this week, as the country continues to be a hotbed for promising Canadian players to establish themselves.
Now, joining the list of names like Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Promise David, Nathan Saliba, and the other Canadians who have either played or still play in the league is another exciting youngster, as Luc De Fougerolles joined F.C.V. Dender on loan from Fulham on Wednesday.
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐤𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐮𝐜 🔵⚫️
— FCV Dender EH (@fcdender) July 30, 2025
De 19-jarige Luc de Fougerolles komt op huurbasis over van Fulham FC.
De centrale verdediger heeft al 7 interlands voor Canada op zijn naam staan. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/mllqhPAzaV
After recently signing a new deal that will keep him at Fulham until 2029, the 19-year-old centre back will get his first proper taste of the professional game in Belgium, as he joins Dender on a season-long loan.
Having spent the majority of his career with Fulham up until this point, this opportunity will represent a bit of something different for him, but that’s not a bad thing. For a young defender looking to break through at an established Premier League club, it’s not uncommon for players to seek a loan elsewhere, helping them pick up the crucial minutes required to develop, and this seems to be a good opportunity for him to do just that.
New contract. ✅
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 11, 2025
Luc de Fougerolles has signed a four-year deal!
Because of that, this move comes at a good time for De Fougerolles, who has played 36 times for Fulham’s U18s and 28 times for their U21s, but has just one first-team appearance to his name, coming in November of 2023.
Given his age, it was clear that he needed to spend time banking professional minutes soon, and while there’s no doubt that he’s close to breaking through at Fulham, hence the new contract, they felt that a little bit of extra seasoning was still required for him if he were to do that.
To be fair, he also finds himself in a bit of a unique situation at the moment, however. Unlike most 19-year-olds, who might’ve preferred to stick with their parent club and fight out for scrap minutes, De Fougerolles is locked in a fierce battle to crack Canada’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
After a big summer with Canada, he has an inside track to be in that World Cup squad, but he’ll only be able to keep that place if he can play regularly, which is why he’s sought out this move, where he’ll get to do exactly that.
There’s no doubting his talent - despite his limited experience, he was one of Canada’s best players during the Canadian Shield and the Gold Cup, not looking out of place despite dealing with those factors. For those who have followed him for a while, that’s not surprising to see, however, as he also famously impressed for Fulham during their preseason in the summer of 2023, and shone in that lone first-team appearance for the club, which came against Ipswich in the 2023-2024 Carabao Cup, showing that he’s not afraid of being dropped onto big stages.
At the same time, while it’s clear to see his potential, there’s no doubt that there’s still a lot of growth to come in his game. That’s only natural for a young defender, especially one who has only picked up this position in the past few years, having previously been more of a midfielder and full back.
REACTION 🎙️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 18, 2025
Hear from #CanMNT 🇨🇦 defender Luc de Fougerolles following his team's 6-0 showing vs. Honduras to open their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KLDVATwm3E
Thanks to his experience in those different positions, he brings a bit of a different skillset to the table, as he’s excellent on the ball and calm under pressure, making him a true ball-playing centre back. Then, off the ball, he’s proven to be a fearless defender, one unafraid of throwing himself into tough challenges, usually coming out with the ball in those situations.
What he’ll look to work on now is his consistency, his strength and his defensive IQ, which are all things that come with age, no matter how talented one is as a youngster.
In particular, it’s also important that he adapt to the fact that he’s grown a lot over the last few years, literally - at one point he was listed at 5’10”, but is now at least 6’1”, and might not be done growing, meaning that he’ll have to keep filling himself out into his frame.
Yet, all of that gives an idea of what Dender should expect from their newest arrival. There’s no doubt that he should be able to drop right into their lineup, which is good news given that he’s joining a team that plays with a back three and had just four natural centre backs in their squad before his arrival, but it remains to be seen how quick his adaptation to playing regular professional football will be.
When looking at the numbers, though, there is plenty for Dender to be excited about.
Naturally, as mentioned earlier, De Fougerolles’ big standout ability remains what he can do on the ball - when looking at his advanced numbers with Fulham U21s, in the 1401 minutes that were tracked on WyScout, he attempted 62.76 passes (at a 91.8% clip), including 4.82 long balls (at a 50.7% clip), 5.78 passes to the final third (at a 73.3% clip) and 21.01 forward passes per 90 (at a 82% clip). Then, to further show that composure he can bring on the ball, he also had 1.35 dribbles (at a 71.4% clip) and 2.12 progressive runs per 90, showing that he’s comfortable in dribbling up the pitch.
Plus, if they were worried about how that might translate to a higher level, his numbers with Canada this summer give a better idea of how he fared against seasoned professionals, as he had 42.83 passes (at a 88.1% clip), 3.31 long balls (at a 46.2% clip), 4.33 passes to the final third (at a 70.6% clip) and 18.61 forward passes (at a 80.8% clip). He wasn’t able to dribble as much, completing just 0.51 dribbles (at a 100% clip) and 0.76 progressive runs, which shows some of the challenges he faced when adjusting to a higher level, but otherwise, his numbers are pretty solid considering he was thrust into a big role for Canada, starting four matches.
Then, defensively, his numbers have been surprisingly solid and consistent, no matter the level.
With Fulham’s U21s, he averaged 17.02 duels (winning 67.9% of them), including 3.21 aerial duels (winning 62% of them) and 7.13 defensive duels per 90 (winning 73% of them), as he otherwise made 3.47 interceptions, 10.66 recoveries and 1.8 clearances per 90; with Canada, he averaged 14.79 duels (winning 69% of them), including 5.1 aerial duels (winning 65% of them) and 3.57 defensive duels per 90 (winning 92.9% of them), while also chipping in with 5.35 interceptions, 10.45 recoveries and 4.84 clearances per 90.
Not only do those numbers show how good he was defensively for Fulham, but that he did well to translate them to Canada - in fact, he was arguably better defensively for Canada, at least in this small sample size. That’s encouraging, as most would suggest that he’s got the most growth to do defensively, but these numbers suggest that isn’t as big of a concern as it first appeared.
Anyone else really impressed by Luc de Fougerolles?
— Armen Bedakian (@ArmenBedakian) June 11, 2025
Thought he quietly put in a pair of very solid performances, penalty aside – and the way the team embraced him after that miss says a whole damn lot about how close-knit this #CanMNT brotherhood remains 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/3G0nKR6wX0
Now, though, the challenge will be to maintain that as he deals with the rigours of his first professional season, which can be the hardest thing for youngsters to do. What distinguishes the best players from the rest isn’t how good they are on their day, but how good they are every day, so De Fougerolles will look to bring that consistency to the table at his new club. 
Here are De Fougerolles' numbers from the 2023-2024 (left) and 2024-2025 (right) Premier League 2 season's with Fulham's U21s. For context, not all games are tracked statistically, and De Fougerolles missed a lot of 2024-2025 with an injury. Despite that, his on-ball numbers are very strong, and his defensive numbers also stand out (WyScout)
Plus, it’s important to note that this isn’t going to be an easy test. While he’s joining a club that is playing in the Belgian top flight, they have only returned to that level for the first time since 2009 last year, and will be in tough to maintain their status in 2025-2026, even though they ended up comfortably avoiding relegation last season.
For a young defender, he’ll face pressure that he won’t have seen with Fulham’s youth team, and will have to get used to defending a lot more than usual, as his team will often hold less of the ball in the hope of grinding out results.
In a sense, though, that’s likely why he chose this move, one that will push him out of his comfort zone on and off the pitch in a way he hasn’t been so far, which will only help him in his quest to crack Canada’s World Cup squad. After all, this is someone brave enough to step up and take a penalty in their elimination vs. Guatemala in the Gold Cup quarter-final ahead of some more experienced names, showing good bravery despite missing the kick that eventually led to Canada's loss.
It's over. 💔#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/372mLC9Qj6
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 29, 2025
Otherwise, he’s passed every test with flying colours in his young career. That started at Fulham and has continued to do that for Canada, and he’ll look to do the same as he embarks on this fascinating adventure. If he can make the most of this opportunity, one that will push him as he moves outside of England for the first time in a long time, both Fulham and Canada will stand to benefit from it.
There’s no doubt that long-term, he has the potential to not just be a starter for both Fulham and Canada, but be an impactful player for both teams. In particular, he has a real chance of becoming a massive piece on this Canadian team given their lack of centre back depth, as seen in the way someone like Moïse Bombito went from unknown to crucial component over the last 18 months. 
Should all go well for De Fougerolles, he’d love to at least push Jesse Marsch to allow him to earn a bigger role on that World Cup squad, but his first big goal will be to make that team in the first place, and he’ll only do that with a strong stint at Dender.
Because of that, look for him to follow in the footsteps of those Canadians who used Belgium as a great landing spot for him to push to that next level. He does that, and the inevitable De Fougerolles Canadian breakout could be set to happen a lot sooner than expected.
