Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world, according to France Football, but he is conspicuous by his absence at Real Madrid currently.
As Los Blancos returned from the international break, it emerged that the Belgian goalkeeper was suffering from sciatica. It was sold as a minor issue but his recovery has stretched into weeks since.
So far he has missed five matches, with Andriy Lunin deputising for him. Real Madrid now face Elche on Wednesday night looking to extend their lead over Barcelona. During the pre-match press conference, manager Carlo Ancelotti explained that he would not be present in Alicante.
“Thibaut is not there tomorrow. He is training quite normally… he is doing work…. he is doing a good job.”
It seems there is still no recovery time for Courtois. Ancelotti had said last Monday that Courtois would return to training on the Thursday ahead of El Clasico. Without Barcelona on the horizon, Real Madrid may have less urgency over his recovery.
Marca covered the press conference, which had a low-key feel to it following the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday night. However Ancelotti mentioned at the start of the conference that they were emphasizing concentration, which comes easier for El Clasico than it does for Elche.
