March 27, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, has been forced to withdraw from the Belgium squad midway through the international break due to a minor adductor strain.
Courtois played a full 90 minutes for Belgium against Sweden on Friday, marking his 101st senior appearance for the country. However, he will miss Tuesday’s international friendly against Germany to return to Madrid for assessment and treatment by Real’s medical staff.
Courtois’ injury is the latest in a series of fitness setbacks that have plagued the goalkeeper over the past year. He missed several games due to hamstring, back, and pelvic inflammation issues, as well as a game in La Liga in February because of a hamstring problem.
Despite these, the decision to release him early from international duty is only a precaution, and he is unlikely to be ruled out for any extended period.
Real Madrid will return to La Liga action against Real Valladolid on April 2. Los Blancos are currently 12 points behind league leaders Barcelona in the title race, and Courtois’ fitness will be a crucial factor in the team’s push to catch up.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
