No Courtois, no problem? Real Madrid’s mood and messaging as new goalkeeper search begins

At Real Madrid’s training ground on Friday morning, the mood and messaging was not as sombre as you might have expected.

The day after Thibaut Courtois’ injury ruled him out for most of the new season, there was the familiar sound of laughter among team-mates as the sun shone down. But some things were different.

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The first 15 minutes of Madrid’s training sessions are usually held with all the players together while the media is allowed in. In a break from this, the three goalkeepers taking part were instead shown off to the cameras separately. As Andriy Lunin, Lucas Canizares and Fran Gonzalez took part in drills with goalkeeping coach Lluis Llopis, it seemed like a clear communication: Courtois is not here, but here are our other goalkeepers and they are this good.

Still, there can be no doubt at all that the Belgian’s long-term absence is a huge blow for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Madrid start the season with a tough trip to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. That they will be without Courtois, their defensive saviour on so many occasions over the past four seasons, will make it tougher still. Courtois’ injury also leaves the club with a tricky choice: to sign a replacement or to stick with what they have?

Sources at the club, who preferred to speak anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, matched that coordinated display of confidence when asked for their thoughts on the subject. “It’s Lunin’s moment,” one said.

But it is true that the 24-year-old Ukrainian has always been held in higher esteem among those who work in Madrid’s offices than among the coaching staff, who, as The Athletic has already reported, have had their doubts about him.

This, in addition to the inexperience of Canizares, 21, and Pinero,