Courtois' talks with Belgium leaders after teammate quit over his recall

Thibaut Courtois has revealed he held showdown talks with his Belgian team-mates after making a controversial return to the national squad.

Courtois, 32, had been absent from the Belgian side for almost two years after a spat in June 2023 with previous coach Domenico Tedesco over the captaincy.

It meant Courtois, who has 102 caps for Belgium, sat out last year's European Championship but since Tedesco's sacking, and the appointment of Rudi Garcia as new coach in January, the Real Madrid goalkeeper has had a change of heart.

Friday's squad announcement, which marked the first for Garcia, saw Courtois named in the Red Devils squad once again. However, the decision drew criticism from fellow keeper Koen Casteels.

Casteels was left furious that Courtois will be allowed back into the Belgium fold after the former Chelsea stopper vowed never to play for them again.

Now, in a press conference ahead of their World Cup qualifiers, Courtois faced the media and lifted the lid on his integration back into the squad.

Reflecting on Casteel's grievances, Courtois said: 'I can understand Koen, because he was number one and now I'm returning. But the football association wanted me back from the start, so I made myself available again.

'It's not like I arranged all this myself. The other things he said, that there is even more dissatisfaction? No idea. If you say something, you should also name it, I think'.

Fellow Belgium star - and Aston Villa midfielder - Youri Tielemans was also sat with Courtois and insisted Casteels did not need to drop a 'bomb' on the national side.

The Villa star said: 'We certainly didn't need that bomb from Koen in this situation. Of course it was discussed, but the most important thing is that Thibaut was able to clarify everything and tell his story.

'The most important thing is that he realizes that certain things went wrong for the group of players, but that he indicated that he didn't mean it that way'.

Last week, during an appearance on a Belgian podcast, Casteels lamented the country's football association for recalling Courtois.

'It's strange that the football association has turned 180 degrees and is rolling out the red carpet and welcoming him back with open arms,' he told MidMid.

'I think it's a bit strange that Courtois can decide for himself whether he can come back. It is not so much towards Thibaut, but mainly towards the football association.

'That does not fit in with the standards and values that I have about what a team sport or a sporting organisation should have. As of today, I am no longer available [for the national team].'

While Casteels was left frustrated with Courtois, the Madrid goalkeeper has been building bridges with his other national team-mates in the form of a team meeting.

He also revealed in his press conference, 'I arrived as usual, we had a meeting with the coach. After dinner we had a talk, that went well.

'There were a lot of misunderstandings, half information, so now I was able to explain what was going on. The teammates were able to ask their questions, it was all said and done.'

Meanwhile, Dutch outlet Nieuwsblad claimed that Garcia welcomed Courtois personally at the Red Devils training ground once he arrived.

The keeper and coach then sat down with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans to discuss his return to the national side.

New manager Garcia has identified the above trio as the 'leaders' of the current national side.

Meanwhile, Courtois also admitted he's keen to make up for lost time with the fans but revealed fears that they could turn on him for his decision to walkaway.

'Well, in the end I can't do much more than perform on the field. To the fans I am very sorry that it turned out this way, but it didn't help that wrong or incomplete stories came out.

'In any case: you can't just change public opinion. You just have to see that you perform. Hopefully I can restore the relationship this way. Because in itself it has always been good.'

Earlier in the week, Garcia was questioned at a press conference about whether Courtois would be asked to apologise for his behaviour,

Garcia said: 'We're starting with a blank slate. I won't see the players until Monday, but we'll talk to the leaders again about what happened.

'But after that, I'm not going to keep dwelling on what happened years ago. Otherwise we won't make any progress.'