REAL MADRID
How long will Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois be out? Will he play against Manchester City in the Champions League?
After tearing his ACL at the start of the season, the Belgian goalkeeper has ruptured his meniscus on the eve of his comeback.
Real Madrid have been rocked by another injury suffered by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has already missed the entirety of the 2023/24 season so far after tearing his ACL in his left knee last August. It was revealed on Tuesday the Belgian had now ruptured his meniscus in his right knee, just as he was closing in on a return to action.
Courtois ruptures meniscus: how bad is his injury?
“Following tests carried out today, Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with a ruptured internal meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred during today’s training session. The injury will be monitored,” read an injury report on the Real Madrid website.
Sources close to the club had suggested the 31-year-old had been in line for a potential comeback in the first LaLiga game after the international break, in which Los Blancos will face Athletic Club at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on 31 March. Courtois had been due take part in a friendly match against Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team, on Wednesday.
Although Real Madrid themselves haven’t confirmed how long the former Chelsea man will be out for, he is expected to be on the sidelines for at least six to seven weeks, while his season could even be over if the club decides not to take unnecessary risks with him after two serious injuries.
Will Courtois play for Real Madrid again this season?
That means Courtois will certainly sit out both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City on Wednesday 9 and Tuesday 16 April.
The semi-finals start (30 April) exactly six weeks to the day after he suffered his latest injury, so he faces the ultimate race against time to be involved in the latter stages of the competition if Madrid progress beyond the last eight.
LaLiga runs until 25 May, which means there may be some hope of Courtois playing again before the end of the season, which would boost his chances of turning out for Belgium in the 2024 European Championship in Germany.