Real Madrid refute Courtois anxiety reports

Real Madrid have denied reports that Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with anxiety after the Belgian shot-stopper was taken off at the interval of Tuesday's Champions League draw against Club Brugge.

The club released a statement on Friday in response to reports that surfaced in Spain a day earlier.

"At no stage has our player been diagnosed with an alleged anxiety attack and these reports are therefore completely false," the statement read.

It continued: "Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed and treated for an acute case of gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which meant that he was unable to complete Tuesday night's game against Brugge.

"The player is currently responding well to treatment."

After conceding twice in the opening 45 minutes of the 2-2 Group A draw, Courtois was substituted at the half for Alphonse Areola. The unconventional change sparked rumors that the towering 'keeper's dismissal stemmed from a suspected shoulder injury or stomach concerns.

On Thursday, speculation shifted to an alleged anxiety issue.

Courtois was absent from training on Thursday and Friday and is expected to miss Saturday's La Liga fixture against Granada.

Despite Courtois' gastroenteritis, he has been included in Belgium's 28-man squad for a pair of upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers.