The situation
Except for surprise, everything indicates that Thibaut Courtois will return to the Real Madrid starting eleven this Saturday, in the duel against Sevilla (9:00 p.m.). The Belgian has overcome his sciatica problem, a recovery that has taken him considerably longer than initially planned and that, among other things, has caused him not to be able to play the last Clásico. In total, Courtois has missed six games in which the white goal has been defended by Andriy Lunin. The Ukrainian had only played five games in the last two seasons as a goal for Real Madrid (before he was on loan at Leganés, Valladolid and Oviedo), three in the Cup and two in the final of the last League, with the title already won. His chances had trickled in, and with good reason: he was facing the best goalkeeper in the world right now , as evidenced by various individual distinctions Courtois has received, such as the Yashin Trophy or the MVP of the last Champions League final. So much so that there was reasonable doubt about Lunin’s chances: was there a goalkeeper with the level to defend Real Madrid’s goal ? And these six parties have served to respond affirmatively. Lunin has shown traces of a solvent goalkeeper and has expanded the market for him in this time. These six games will surely help him to receive offers of a certain level next summer.
The details
Lunin already flirted with leaving Madrid last summer, after a year in which he barely played (just 390 minutes), a prolonged substitution that compromised his options to go regularly with the Ukraine team. However, his recent fatherhood made him reconsider and prefer to continue in Madrid for at least one more season. But it is to be hoped that, next summer, Lunin will once again consider a future away from Real Madrid. Courtois will end this season with just turned 31 and with his football maturity ahead of him, a scenario that will force Lunin, if he wants to play regularly, to look for a new destination. In this time, he at least has been able to show his possibilities: he only managed to keep a clean sheet twice, but signed saving saves at a time when Madrid suffered. The last one, against Elche at the Martínez Valero, in a Clerc header that would have made it 1-1, before Benzema scored it 0-2 and then Asensio made it 0-3.