Real Madrid veteran issues update on his health after missing El Clasico: ‘Feeling much better’

The hours leading up to El Clasico on Sunday night were all about Thibaut Courtois and the sudden flu he suffered which shockingly put his participation in doubt.

Taking no risks, Real Madrid put up an official confirmation of the player’s medical setback and announced that he would not take part in the game against Barcelona.

Yet, the player pushed on until the final hours before kickoff to see if his condition improved. Unfortunately, there was not enough of an improvement to change the status of his participation.

Courtois provides an update

Courtois may feature at the weekend. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The Real Madrid superstar’s expected time out after his recent health setback was always low, especially given it was not a physical injury but a systemic illness.

While he did miss a massive clash against Barcelona, there was always a sense of expectation that he would be back for the next game.

Speaking to El Chiringuito earlier this week, the player provided a positive update on his recovery and his possible participation against Racing Club.

“I’m feeling much better now. I’m training little by little to recover.”

“There’s still time until Sunday,” he added, providing reason to be optimistic about his return for the weekend.

No pressure on Courtois

Lunin has done well for Real Madrid. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)

Not having the Belgian star available against Barcelona seemed to be a massive setback for Real Madrid last weekend, for he is one of the team’s most important players on the field.

Andriy Lunin stepped into the goalkeeping position in his absence and delivered a great show against Barcelona, conceding just once and making several massive saves through the 90 minutes.

There is, in that sense, less pressure on Mourinho to hasten Courtois’ return for the Ukrainian star has once again proven to be an able backup option. Even in the case that Courtois is fit enough to return to the squad this weekend, there is thus a chance that Lunin holds on to the starting spot once again.

After all, Real Madrid would much rather give the veteran rest and have him fully fit for the games against AEK Athens, Valencia and Celta Vigo in the coming weeks rather than stress his body at this point in time.