"At the end of the month, I’ll be training with the group again" - Real Madrid superstar provides positive fitness update
Real Madrid superstar Thibaut Courtois has confirmed that he will start training with his teammates by the end of April.
The Belgian was sidelined for a lengthy period after he suffered an ACL injury in August last year. His recovery seemed to be going well until he suffered a fresh setback last month in the form of a torn meniscus in his right knee.
However, Courtois has now provided a rather positive injury update from Real Madrid's point of view. Speaking to DjMaRiiO on Twitch (via @MadridXtra on X), he said:
"At the end of the month, I’ll be training with the group again."
Courtois has been an irreplaceable part of Real Madrid's XI ever since they signed him from Chelsea in 2018 for around £35 million. He has kept 91 clean sheets in 230 matches for Los Merengues, lifting nine trophies in the process.
Real Madrid signed Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan without an option to buy from Chelsea last summer after Courtois' injury. Apart from the Spaniard, Carlo Ancelotti also has Andriy Lunin as an option between the sticks.
With an eight-point lead at the top of LaLiga after 30 matches and Lunin's fine form, Real Madrid can arguably afford to be patient with Courtois' return to action.
Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin expected to be Real Madrid's two main options in goal next season - Reports
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid don't plan on taking any steps to extend Kepa Arrizabalaga's stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The journalist, in a tweet on X, has stated that Los Blancos will prioritize a contract extension for Andriy Lunin instead. Kepa initially got the nod from Carlo Ancelotti, playing every minute in the league from gameweek three to 12.
However, Lunin has since displaced the 29-year-old Spaniard in goal. The Ukraine international is evidently Ancelotti's go-to man between the sticks in Courtois' absence, with 24 matches and 11 clean sheets across competitions under his belt this season.
Lunin, 25, joined Real Madrid in the same year as the 102-cap Belgium international and his current deal runs out at the end of next season. Kepa, meanwhile, has 18 appearances and seven clean sheets for Real Madrid since leaving Chelsea.
It remains to be seen where he will play his football next season, with the Spaniard's deal at Chelsea expiring in the summer of 2025 as well. Currently, Mauricio Pochettino has Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic as his two main options between the sticks.