Courtois: Belgium training is of a higher standard than Chelsea’s

Courtois: Belgium training is of a higher standard than Chelsea’s

Belgium training is of a higher standard than Chelsea’s sessions, according to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The 23-year-old has linked up with his international team-mates ahead of a friendly clash with Portugal on Tuesday and, speaking to broadcaster RTBF, he revealed the difference in quality between the Belgian set-up and what he’s used to at Cobham.

Courtois, who has played 64 games for the Blues since arriving in west London from Genk in 2011, said: ‘The level of training is higher among the Belgians as there are only world class international players in the squad, while at Chelsea the core squad sometimes trains alongside the youngsters as well.’

Courtois also stated that he was unsure about his future after Chelsea’s difficult season.

The Blues lie 10th in the Premier League, are out of the Champions League and FA Cup, and will be under new management in the summer – with Antonio Conte expected to succeed Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge.

That could herald a large turnaround in players and, when asked about what lies ahead, Courtois said: ‘I don’t know. I still have three years on my current contract, it’s about what Chelsea want as well.’

Asked to give his thoughts of Chelsea’s difficult campaign, the keeper – who missed several weeks of the term after undergoing knee surgery in September – said: ‘It’s true to say that it changes you, until now I have always been used to winning a trophy every season.

‘We hope next season will go better, we are awaiting the new manager. It wasn’t a pleasant experience with the injury but I have worked very hard to return to action quickly.

‘It is especially important from a psychological point of view to be solid, but with my character and the fact that I grew in a family of top level sportstars (his father, mother and sister have or were previously volleyball players), so I have not had too many problems in this regard.’

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