Thibaut Courtois 'leaves Real Madrid training in tears' after sustaining serious injury

Thibaut Courtois looks set for a long spell out of action after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in training for Real Madrid, reportedly leaving the pitch in tears.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set for a long spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ACL injury in training.

Courtois reportedly left training in tears after picking up the injury, according to Spanish journalist Miguel Diaz. Los Blancos later confirmed that the former Chelsea stopper had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

The La Liga giants released a statement on Wednesday afternoon which confirmed the injury. It read: "After the tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days."

The Belgian star is now set to miss the entirety of the 2023/24 season. It leaves Real Madrid in disarray in the goalkeeping department with the start of the new La Liga season just days away.

Real face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night in their first match of the season, with Andriy Lunin as their only senior goalkeeper. Lunin, who is 24, played 12 times last season for the serial Champions League winners.

He has made just nine La Liga appearances for the club since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018. He has also spent time on loan at Leganes, Real Valladolid and Real Oviedo.