Real Madrid confirm Thibaut Courtois suffered ruptured ACL in training

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has ruptured his ACL and is facing a season on the sidelines.

Los Blancos confirmed the news Courtois is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after reports on social media say he left a training session in tears on a stretcher.

Courtois is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelinesAFP or licensors

And the three-time LaLiga winners’ worst fears were realised on the eve of the new season.

According to COPE, Courtois suffered the injury on Thursday morning and he was forced off the training pitch in tears.

Medical tests were taken straight away by Real Madrid doctors to find out the extent of the injury.

And the club have since confirmed that the Belgian will face a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

The former Chelsea star will require surgery which will mean that he is likely to return in April in a best-case scenario for Madrid.

A statement 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.”

Real Madrid are set to enter the transfer window to find a replacement and several have already been tipped.

Courtois could miss the entire seasonGetty

Chelsea are open to loaning out Kepa Arrizabalaga while Bayern Munich are interested in the Blues stopper.

And a move for David Raya has not yet been formalised by Arsenal despite agreeing terms with the Brentford star.

Nevertheless, it is terrible news for Carlo Ancelotti, who was already under pressure to reclaim the league title after losing out to Barcelona.

Current back-up Andriy Lunin has only ever played nine LaLiga matches across his five years at the Bernabeu.

And plenty of the summer’s budget has already been splashed out on Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler.

Real Madrid’s season gets underway on Saturday when they face Athletic Bilbao away from home.

It seems highly unlikely that the Spanish giants will have a replacement in the door by the time of kick-off.