Thibaut Courtois is back! Real Madrid goalkeeper returns to Belgium squad after almost two years away from Red Devils squad

The Real Madrid custodian was named in the Red Devils' 26-member squad for their upcoming two-legged Nations League qualifying fixture against Ukraine. Courtois has not appeared for Belgium since June 2023 after he had a fallout with ex-Belgium boss Tedesco over captaincy of the national team. However, with Rudi Garcia replacing Tedesco in January, the goalkeeper has now returned to the national team setup.

Speaking to reporters about Courtois' selection, the new Belgium boss 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."

Garcia further revealed how he is planning to resolve the captaincy issue as he added: "I have an idea in my head about that. Kevin (de Bruyne), Romelu (Lukaku) and Thibaut are definitely candidates. We will see next week who the leaders are."

The Madrid star's comeback did not go down well with Koen Casteels, who has been Belgium's first-choice custodian in the past few years. The Al Qadsiah goalkeeper even quit the national team following the news of Courtois returning to the national team was out. Speaking on Belgian podcast MidMid, Casteels said: "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.

"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]."

Belgium will first face Ukraine on Thursday, away from home, before hosting them for the second leg on March 23.