Thibaut Courtois could miss up to a month’s action after suffering an injury while on international duty with Belgium.
The 30-year-old sustained a knock during the Red Devils’ 3-0 win over Sweden on Friday in the opening game of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Nevertheless, he managed to play the full 90 minutes of the game, the first game of the Domenico Tedesco era and Belgium’s first game since the end of their disastrous World Cup campaign.
According to the Belgian FA, the shot-stopper left the national team camp on Sunday in a precautionary move after straining an adductor muscle.
However, Real Madrid are worried that the knock he sustained could rule him out of a good part of the season. According to Spanish outlet Sport, Los Blancos fear the injury could keep Courtois out for three to four weeks.
This could mean the Belgian keeper will miss out on a crunch run of games for the Spanish giants, which include a two-legged Champions League quarter-final game against his former side Chelsea.
He could also miss the return leg of Madrid’s Carabao Cup meeting with fierce rivals Barcelona. The Spanish side will play six games in the next 18 days, and the injury has set alarm bells off at the club.
Although Carlo Ancelotti’s side are effectively out of the title race in La Liga, having dropped 12 points behind Barcelona after a 2-1 loss in El Classico just before the international break, they will be wary of dropping further down the table in the league.
Meanwhile, Courtois returned to Madrid on Sunday and is expected to undergo the relevant medical tests on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury.
It is the Belgian’s third injury of the season, and he is likely to be replaced by backup stopper Andriy Lunin.
