Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui warns £38m Thibaut Courtois he is not guaranteed to start
Spanish giants splashed the cash to bring in the Belgian stopper but he still faces strong competition from Keylor Navas for a starting spot
THIBAUT COURTOIS is not guaranteed to start for Real Madrid this season despite the club forking out £38million to capture the Belgian goalkeeper.
Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui rates Keylor Navas highly and is happy to select his goalkeeper on a "week-by-week" basis.
Speaking ahead of his first La Liga game against Getafe, Lopetegui said: "There isn't a magic formula. We need to manage it week by week.
"We will see as we go who is best for the team at any given time. We have two magnificent goalkeepers, and others as well.
"But of course these are two international-level keepers and we will try to manage it well and make decisions for the team.
"Of course there is huge competition for the team but I see it as something positive in that position. It's good for the team to have competition."
Navas started Wednesday night's Uefa Super Cup 4-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid, with Courtois reportedly ineligible to play due to his new club failing to complete the required paperwork.
The 13-time European Cup champions did not concede four goals during Zinedine Zidane's two-and-a-half-year tenure and Navas was criticised for Diego Costa's opener after 49 seconds.
But the new manager does not appear to be fazed by Navas' performance on Wednesday and is likely to give the Costa Rican plenty of minutes this season.
Navas, 31, played 44 times for Real Madrid in 2017/18, his third season after taking the reigns permanently from club legend Iker Casillas in 2015.
