Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar expected to be ready for start of season after fresh injury blow – report
Thibaut Courtois became a big talking point last night when Spain defeated Belgium to advance into the semifinals, thanks to a late goal from Mikel Merino.
The goal came out of a parrying error from goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who replaced Courtois midway through the second half after the Real Madrid goalkeeper picked up a knock during the game.
Lammens’ mistake cost Belgium dearly as Spain were able to hold on to their slender lead. To make things worse for Real Madrid, it was reported that Courtois may miss 4-8 weeks thanks to the fresh injury.
Courtois should be ready for the season ahead
According to Mundo Deportivo, Courtois should be ready to start the new season despite his injury blow against Spain.
The goalkeeper, who is considered among the best in the world right now, picked up a muscular problem. This has led to fears that he may miss the start of next season.
Andriy Lunin was earmarked as the main Real Madrid shot-stopper, at least for the starting phases of the campaign.
But the report suggests Courtois should be able to make it back in time and start for Real Madrid when the season restarts next month.
The Spanish giants are slated to start their campaign on August 17, taking on Real Sociedad, although that is set to be postponed owing to a number of players from the club making it to the World Cup semi-finals.
Big boost for Real Madrid
This serves as a massive boost for Real Madrid looking to become more defensively solid after the appointment of Jose Mourinho.
Los Blancos have already beefed up their defensive unit by signing three players in the summer, with Mourinho looking to sign another centre-back.
The presence of a leader like Courtois should add more confidence to a backline that will have a completely new look, with players who haven’t played together before.
In addition to his leadership, Courtois brings the much-needed quality in between the sticks, although his deputy goalkeeper Lunin hasn’t done a bad job either.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
