Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo has conceded that the club are missing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois this season.
The Belgian international returned to Chelsea in the summer after being on loan at the Vicente Calderon for the past three years and was replaced by Miguel Angel Moya.
However, speaking at a ceremony in the Spanish capital where he collected an award on behalf of Courtois, Cerezo confessed his absence had been noted.
“It’s obvious we miss him but we’ve found good replacements. He strongly wanted to be here,” he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Italia.
“He’s always been Chelsea’s goalkeeper but he was with us for three seasons, so we must thank him and Chelsea for what he has given to Atleti and Spanish football.”
The 22-year-old joined the Londoners from Genk in July 2011, signing a five-year deal, but was immediately loaned to Los Rojiblancos in a bid to gain more first team experience.
However, Courtois’ time with Diego Simeone’s team was marked by him winning a number of honours – the Europa League, Copa del Rey and a La Liga title – while in the meantime he developed a burgeoning reputation as one of the world’s top goalkeepers.
