Thibaut Courtois has been left out of Real Madrid’s squad to face Granada a few hours after the club denied he has an anxiety problem.
Goalkeeper Courtois was substituted at half time in Madrid’s Champions League draw with Club Brugge in midweek, with head coach Zinedine Zidane saying the player “wasn’t well and couldn’t continue”.
It was subsequently claimed in media reports that the former Chelsea man was affected by anxiety, yet a club statement denied this on Friday, instead revealing he is suffering with gastroenteritis.
As such, Courtois was not named in the Madrid squad to face LaLiga surprise package Granada when Zidane announced his 19-man squad later the same day.
Alphonse Areola, who replaced Courtois against Brugge, will be joined by Castilla goalkeepers Javier Belman and Diego Altube in the group.
Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Junior both featured in the European clash but were left out of this selection, with James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Rodrygo Goes returning.
Zidane had already confirmed Madrid were considering starting Eder Militao at left-back due to a number of defensive injuries, with Marcelo, Ferland Mendy and Nacho all out.