Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has confessed that he will be having a managerial headache to contend with following the arrival of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Chelsea gloveman arrived in the Spanish capital for a cut-price, given he was in the final year of his contract in west London, and he made his first appearance on Saturday night as Los Blancos eased past Leganes 4-1.
Prior to the Belgian’s introduction to the starting XI, Keylor Navas – recently crowned UEFA Champions League Awards Best Goalkeeper – was Lopetegui’s first choice between the sticks, and had been for Real since 2015.
However, the Costa Rican will now have fierce competition, as he will be vying for the first-choice berth alongside Courtois and the experienced Kiko Casilla, though Lopetegui says he has confidence in all three, even if it causes him a selection ‘problem.’
“I have great confidence in all three goalkeepers,” Lopetegui told reporters, as cited by Football Espana.
“The problem I have is that only one can play in each game but that does not mean the two who are not on the pitch do not have my trust, and they know that.
“It is a situation I am employed to manage and delegate, to choose one of three great options, but we must continually evaluate the situation.”
Courtois left Stamford Bridge having established himself as the main man between the sticks since the start of the 2014/15 campaign, featuring for the club in 154 matches across all competitions.
Following his departure, new manager Maurizio Sarri was forced to explore the transfer market and recruit Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for a world record £71.6m transfer fee.
Since Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo’s departures from the Bernabeu, Lopetegui has enjoyed a perfect start to life in La Liga, winning his opening three matches.
Up next for the former Spain manager is a trip to the Basque region to take on Athletic Bilbao after the international break.
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