Liverpool's Divock Origi dropped from Belgium squad by Marc Wilmots

Liverpool striker Divock Origi has been dropped from the Belgium squad by head coach Marc Wilmots for friendlies against Italy and Spain.

The 20-year-old, who joined Liverpool in the summer, has been omitted in favour of Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi.

The 22-year-old has scored nine goals in 15 appearances for the French club, but failed to earn a call-up for Belgium's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Andorra and Israel last month.

As for Origi, he has been called into the Under-21 squad, while his Liverpool teammate Christian Benteke has returned to the senior setup alongside fellow Premier League players Thomas Vermaelen and Mousa Dembele.

Belgium officially moved to the top of the FIFA world rankings this week.