Real Madrid dealt blow as star player returns early from international duty after picking up injury

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been forced to make an early return from international duty after picking up a thigh problem.

Courtois, 30, has established himself as an important figure for Los Blancos since arriving from Chelsea for a fee in the region of €35 million in 2018. He has been a crucial part of his team's push for trophies this season, registering 10 clean sheets in 32 appearances across all competitions.

A left-footed shot-stopper renowned for his reflexes and handling, Courtois won his 101st international cap in Belgium's 3-0 UEFA Euro qualifying win over Sweden on Friday (March 24). However, the Royal Belgian Football Association has confirmed that the KRC Genk academy graduate has suffered a minor strain in the adductor muscle.

Real Madrid, who are fighting for titles on three fronts this season, have a busy period ahead of them. They are scheduled to face Real Valladolid and Villarreal in La Liga, Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, and Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League in the first two weeks of April.

If Courtois fails to recover from his thigh injury in time, Andriy Lunin is set to play between the sticks for Carlo Ancelotti's side. He has kept four clean sheets in 11 games this season, conceding just nine goals.

Overall, Courtois has overseen 84 shutouts in 213 games for his club.

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Real Madrid eye summer move for 19-year-old Bundesliga star: Reports

Speaking on his YouTube channel, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said that Real Madrid are prepared to rival Barcelona for Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz's signature. He elaborated:

"The player recently said, 'I'm very surprised by all the rumors. I didn't have any kind of contact or my father.' So, he was kind of denying all the transfer stories. But he is a top talent and what I can tell you is that Barcelona is following the player, for sure."

Claiming that Real Madrid are also keeping tabs, Romano added:

"Their people have been following the player and also Real Madrid. So, the two Spanish clubs are monitoring the Bundesliga player now."

Shedding light on Wirtz's situation at the BayArena, Romano continued:

"But, the expectation around Wirtz by Leverkusen is for the player to stay atleast for one more year and to play the Euros for Germany in the summer of 2024. But Barça, Real and Liverpool are monitoring the midfielder at the moment. It is a very open race as of now."

Wirtz, 19, has 49 goals and assists in 91 games for Leverkusen so far.