NEW DELHI: On the eve of the new La Liga season, Real Madrid suffered a significant setback when goalie Thibaut Courtois ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training in Madrid on Thursday.
The 31-year-old Belgian international faces a lengthy layoff and will need surgery in the coming days, according to his club.
"After the tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee," Madrid said in a statement.
The club did not indicate how long Courtois will be out, although rumours in Spain believe he will be missing for the most, if not the whole season.
According to Cadena Cope radio, Courtois was injured during a morning training session and left the pitch in tears.
He will be replaced in the lineup by Ukraine's Andriy Lunin, with Madrid set to face Athletic Bilbao in their first game of the season on Saturday.
After the 2018 World Cup, Courtois joined Real Madrid from Chelsea, where he helped the team win two La Liga titles and the Champions League last year.
(With AFP inputs)
