Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has conceded that the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo has been felt in the dressing room, but the players are not really lamenting his departure.
Ronaldo walked out of Real Madrid as their all-time leading goalscorer as he inked a record deal with Italian giants Juventus. His absence up front has had a bearing on Real Madrid as the Los Blancos have struggled to get going this season.
"He is not being talked about in the locker room. If Ronaldo leaves and there is no real top attacker in his place, you know that it will be a difficult year," Courtois said in an interview to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.
'It is mainly the press that drops his name'
"It is mainly the press that drops his name. There were matches that we lost in which we got 10 chances but did not score. At the same time, he scores two for Juventus. Then it's easy to talk about him," he further added.
There has been turmoil in the camp as Julen Lopetugi was shown the door after Madrid went down 5-1 to Barcelona in the El Classico. Their recent form has shown glimpses of improvement under Santiago Solari, and despite this, they are 10 points behind Barcelona.
Courtois, however, has not thrown in the towel yet and is hopeful of a late surge which might help the side go all the way despite their position on the table.
"We have won the Club World Cup, are still active in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. Okay, in La Liga we are 10 points behind. But sometimes Barcelona also has difficult matches that they win in the last minute," the goalie added.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been in good goal-scoring form for Juventus and even scored a brace in their latest match against with Parma in the Serie A on February 2.
