BRUSSELS: Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has withdrawn from the squad for their four Nations League matches over the next fortnight just days after his Champions League heroics with Real Madrid.
He has a groin strain and has been withdrawn after a medical examination, as has defender Jason Denayer, the Belgian football federation said on Tuesday. Courtois said after the Champions League final on Saturday, where his Spanish club edged Liverpool 1-0 to lift the trophy, that he had struggled with injury for a while with recurring inflammation on the inside of his thigh."He is not fit due to ongoing medical problems," the Belgian federation said.
Defender Denayer, who has ended his contract with Olympique Lyonnais, has battled this season with an ankle problem. Belgium are preparing for Nations League games at home to Netherlands on Friday and Poland on Wednesday followed by trips to Wales on June 11 and the return in Poland three days later.