Real Madrid confirmed on Tuesday that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has suffered a new injury setback, picking up a knee injury during training.
This injury comes as a major blow for Real Madrid, as Courtois will miss their Champions League quarterfinal against Manchester City.
The club stated that Courtois will be sidelined for several weeks due to a meniscus tear in his right knee, which he suffered during training on Tuesday.
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Courtois, who has yet to play this season after sustaining an ACL injury in his left knee in August, returned to full training last week in the hopes of playing later in the season and representing Belgium at Euro 2024.
However, Real Madrid announced on Tuesday that Courtois has suffered another setback, tearing the internal meniscus in his right knee.
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Reportedly, Courtois was visibly upset, leaving the training session in tears, as his chances of participating in Euro 2024 are now uncertain.
The 31-year-old Belgian, who had been expected to make a return to Real Madrid’s squad after several months out due to an ACL tear in his left knee last August, underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday that confirmed damage to his right knee.
Real Madrid released a statement saying, “Following tests carried out today, our player Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with a ruptured internal meniscus in his right knee.”
This injury comes as a significant setback for Real Madrid, who will now be without one of their key players for the highly anticipated Champions League quarterfinal against Manchester City in early April.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed optimism last Friday about soon having both Courtois and Brazilian defender Eder Militao, who also suffered a torn ACL in August, back in the squad.
Ancelotti had planned for them to play two friendlies against Real’s youth team during the international break before rejoining the first team for the final stretch of the season.
“They (Courtois and Militao) have started to work with the group, completing normal training sessions,” Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
“I think they will be able to make it (to the first leg against City). In fact, the idea is that they will be available on March 31st, for the LaLiga match against Athletic Bilbao, but we won’t risk anything, that’s more than clear.”
Courtois made the switch to Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018, following a successful spell at Stamford Bridge where he clinched two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and a League Cup.
His standout performance came in the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool in Paris, where he was awarded Player of the Match for his nine saves, securing Real’s 14th European title with a 1-0 victory.
When Courtois was injured, Real Madrid had only one other goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin from Ukraine, in their squad. They brought in former Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan deal, but ultimately, Lunin emerged as the first-choice keeper.
Courtois is now set to undergo surgery for his latest injury, and recovery from a meniscus problem typically takes anywhere from six weeks to three months.
The Euro 2024 tournament begins on June 14, with Belgium playing their first match against Slovakia three days later. With just around three months until then, Courtois has a tight timeline for his recovery.
His aim should be to be fit for the tournament, and hopefully, luck will be on his side after what has been a challenging few months for the Belgian star.
