Injured Real Madrid mainstay could return to training by March or April

It is a rarity in the world of football that a manager is forced to look towards a third-choice goalkeeper.

After all, the guardians of the goal are the least susceptible to injury of any player on the field.

Yet, Carlo Ancelotti has found himself in such a situation this season at Real Madrid. With Thibaut Courtois ruled out with a long-term injury and Kepa Arrizabalaga suffering a fitness blow himself, the Italian gaffer was forced to turn to Andriy Lunin in recent games.

Luckily for him, the Ukrainian goalkeeper boasts of fine quality himself and put in a great shift to cover the void.

While Real Madrid have found replacements, the void left by Courtois’ injury is palpable. The Belgian shot-stopper, after all, is one of the best in the business and a match-winner in his own right.

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Courtois is working day and night to shorten his recovery period and make a swift comeback to action.

In fact, he recently even shared an update on social media to provide a glimpse of his work behind the scenes and thanked fans for their support.

"Thanks to the people I have around me, things are getting better every day," his message read.

Despite being initially ruled out for the entire season through an ACL tear, the Spanish outlet reports that the shot-stopper could return to group training as early as March or April if he continues hitting the deadlines.

As revealed earlier today, the Real Madrid No. 1 has opted against travelling with the Belgian National Team for the European Championships next year. The competition is scheduled to kick off in mid-June, but the player prefers to avoid the risk.

Instead, the veteran will stay in Madrid and work to return to his 100% at the earliest. After all, the road to the starting lineup will be long even after he returns to group training in March.