Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has vowed to bounce back from the serious knee injury which will force him to miss the majority of the 2023/24 campaign.
Courtois was stretchered out of training on Thursday and it was quickly confirmed that he had suffered an ACL tear which will force him into surgery, with reports in Spain suggesting he is now facing at least six months on the sidelines.
Taking to Instagram to update his fans, Courtois thanked supporters for their best wishes and vowed to come back stronger than ever.
"You never expect to go through something like this, but now it's time to accept it and do everything to get over it and come back even stronger," he wrote.
"Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you that they motivate me to recover as soon as possible."
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According to reports in Spain, Courtois suffered the injury while heading to collect a loose ball and he was not near any other players when his knee collapsed underneath him.
He was immediately stretchered out of training and sent for scans, with Madrid medical staff well aware he had likely suffered something serious. The ACL tear was quickly confirmed.
90min understands Madrid are now prepared to enter the market for another goalkeeper, to compete with Ukraine international Andriy Lunin for the starting role, and Sevilla's Yassine Bounou is the player they have earmarked.
The Moroccan is valued at around €20m (£17.3m) and is understood to want the move to Madrid. Contact has also been made with former Manchester United stopper David de Gea, who famously came close to joining the club in 2015, only for the deal to collapse because of a late administrative error.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Thibaut Courtois sends message to Real Madrid fans after ACL injury.