"Everything is going according to plan" – Real Madrid star provides fitness update after picking up long-term injury earlier in the season

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has stated that his rehabilitation process is progressing well following his anterior cruciate ligament injury prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

Courtois, 31, sustained his injury during a pre-season training session at his club's Valdebebas ground earlier in August this year. He is likely to be out for the majority of this season, leaving Carlo Ancelotti with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Andriy Lunin as his goalkeeping options.

During a recent interview with Belgian publication Sporza, Courtois was queried to shed light on how his rehabilitation from the long-term injury was going. He replied (h/t MadridXtra):

"Rehabilitation is going very good. Everything is going according to plan, even a little better than expected actually. Normally, I would only be able to start walking at four months, but I have already been working on it for a week. I have not had any setbacks since the operation."

Courtois, who has helped Real Madrid lift a total of nine trophies, said:

"Now it's important to be patient. I've received a lot of messages from other players who had the same injury – such as [Marco] Asensio, [Radamel] Falcao and [Mikel] Oyarzabal – and everyone says it takes nine to 10 months to be at your best again."

Erring a bit on the side of caution, the former Chelsea man concluded:

"Real Madrid have made it very clear that they want me to recover 100% and certainly not to make a comeback too early. I don't want to betray that trust. If I don't play any more games this season, that's okay."

Courtois, who has also confirmed that he will not play in the UEFA Euro 2024, has registered 91 clean sheets in 230 matches for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid add four centre-backs to winter wish list following David Alaba's ACL injury

Earlier on Sunday, Real Madrid were forced to take off David Alaba after the player sustained an anterior cruciate ligament problem during a 4-1 La Liga home triumph against Villarreal. They replaced the Austrian with captain Nacho Fernandez in the 35th minute of the clash.

Now, according to AS, the club have added Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva, Giorgio Scalvini and Willian Pacho to their January shopping list.

While Inacio has established himself as a vital starter for Sporting CP over the last few seasons, Silva has been a key star for Benfica since his debut past year. Both Scalvini and Pacho have shone for Atalanta and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively in the ongoing 2023-24 season.