Concern for Andriy Lunin? Thibaut Courtois ‘was going to start’ for Real Madrid vs Athletic | OneFootball

An insight into the scrapped plans of the coaching staff at La Liga giants Real Madrid for the returning Thibaut Courtois has been provided on Thursday.

The name of Belgian international Courtois has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines in Spain’s capital over the course of the last 48 hours.

This comes after word was forthcoming that the 32-year-old had been dealt a considerable personal blow.

Amid ongoing efforts to ramp up his recovery from an ACL injury suffered last August, Courtois was forced to limp out of training at Valdebebas on Tuesday.

And, following an ensuing round of medical tests, it was confirmed that the former Chelsea man had been ‘diagnosed with a ruptured internal meniscus in his right knee’.

Courtois has since undergone another operation, expected to sit out the remainder of the campaign as a result.

As much, of course, means that Andriy Lunin is set to maintain his place between the posts for Carlo Ancelotti’s side through the summer.

It could nevertheless come as a source of concern for the Ukrainian, though, to discover that, had it not been for his teammate’s setback, he would have been swiftly relegated to the bench once more.

Lunin, for his part, has excelled in his minutes on the pitch this season, with his exploits on the continent in particular having proven absolutely decisive in keeping Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign alive.

As per a report from Marca, though, he was in line to be dealt a blow, in a little over a week’s time.

This comes amid confirmation that:

‘Thibaut Courtois was going to start against Athletic Club on March 31, right after the international break’.

Though Courtois was widely expected to reclaim first-choice status long-term, the swiftness with which boss Ancelotti was ready to return him to backup duties could well be taken as a lack of faith in his abilities on the part of Lunin.

Amid claims that his status in boss Los Blancos’ squad will likely prove decisive in contract talks between the parties over the months ahead, could today’s news lead the 25-year-old to seek out opportunities elsewhere this summer?

Conor Laird | GSFN