Thibaut
Courtois has raised doubts over his future with Chelsea after refusing to
commit to the struggling Premier League Champions.
Courtois, who spent three successful seasons on loan with Atletico Madrid,
has been linked with a return to the Spanish capital with La Liga giants
Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old won the Premier League with the Blues last year but this
season's struggles have left a mark on him.
When asked whether he would remain in west London beyond the end of the
season, Courtois told Belgian broadcaster RTBF he was unsure.
"I do not say yes, I do not say no. I do not know: I still have three years
on my contract. We must see what Chelsea want," said Courtois.
"It is true that it [this season] has changed me. Until now I had always won
a trophy every season. We hope that next season will be better."
Courtois, who missed several weeks of the campaign after undergoing knee
surgery in September, insisted he has never doubted his ability even in
testing times.
"Especially mentally, you have to be strong," said the former Genk stopper,
whose sister and both parents have all played volleyball at a high level.
"But with my character, and having grown up in a family of top athletes, I
do not have too many problems with it. I never doubt."
Courtois is currently with the Belgium squad preparing for Tuesday's
friendly with Portugal - a fixture which was switched to Leiria having
initially been cancelled for security reasons in the wake of Tuesday's
Brussels terror attacks.
And he believes he is training at a higher standard with his international
colleagues than when with his club.
"The level of training is higher among Devils," he said. "There are only
world-class players [here], while at Chelsea, there are some players a
little less rated and we often train with youngsters as well."
Courtois is one of a host of Premier League-based Belgium stars to have
suffered injury-plagued seasons, along with the likes of Chelsea team-mate
Eden Hazard, Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen and Manchester City pair
Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne.
And that is not something that has come as a surprise to the former Atletico
Madrid loanee.
"We have matches every three days, no winter break, there are many cup
matches," he said. "The pace is high and the contacts are tough."
top