Chelsea news: Thibaut Courtois plays down fears of gruesome 'eye injury'
The Chelsea goalkeeper sat out of Belgium's 1-1 friendly draw with Netherlands on Wednesday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thibaut Courtois has played down fears that he has suffered a serious injury to his left eye after he sat out of Belgium’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands.
The Chelsea goalkeeper was only named as a substitute for the friendly in Amsterdam on Wednesday, with Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet starting between the posts in his place.
Television images later showed Courtois sitting among the substitutes with a severely bloodshot left eye, leading some to speculate that this was why he was absent from Roberto Martinez’s starting line-up.
Courtois, however, has allayed such fears by taking to social media and insisting that the problem does not affect his ability to play.
"Everything's ok with my eye,” Courtois tweeted, “…had it for 2 weeks and doesn't effect [sic] my goalkeeping".
Courtois played with the subconjunctival haemorrhage, likely caused by a burst vessel, during Chelsea’s 5-0 demolition of Everton.
Subconjunctival haemorrhages are usually harmless and cause no visual obstruction. They generally fade or disappear completely within two weeks.
Chelsea have already suffered one casualty during the current international break, with Diego Costa withdrawing from Spain’s squad with a groin injury.
The 28-year-old striker, who tops the Premier League’s goalscoring charts with nine in 11 appearances so far, will miss his national side’s fixtures against Macedonia and England.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments