Fulham defender Timothy Castagne deserves praise and not criticism for his recent comments on teammate Thibaut Courtois this week.
That’s according to Belgium icon Philippe Albert, who says the full-back showed his ‘healthy personality’ in his so-called controversial comments this week.
Castagne is facing criticism after commenting on Courtois in a press conference this week amid the ongoing battle between the Real Madrid goalkeeper and Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco.
The pair have had a very falling out over the Belgium captaincy, with Courtois walking out of the squad in June after refusing to play in a European qualifier against Estonia.
The pair have not had any contact since and there is now an ongoing debate about what the future holds, particularly ahead of Belgium’s potential participation in the Euros next summer.
The Real Madrid star is currently out injured after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture but is expected to return around March, meaning he could be in contention for Domenic Tedesco’s squad.
That question was raised to Fulham’s Castagne this week, who openly admitted that it would be strange for the goalkeeper to just return as if nothing had happened previously.
This led to criticism for him from some quarters, but Albert has defended him, insisting he was not wrong in what he said.
“I carefully read the interview that Castagne gave you. The long passage on Courtois was of a frankness which corresponds well to Timothy’s healthy personality,” he said in Le Soir.
“There is no desire to cause harm, just an observation. Without becoming the official spokesperson, the Fulham player only said out loud what the group was probably thinking quietly.
“If we still need to clarify things in relation to Courtois’ flight after Belgium-Austria, I will do so once again: Thibaut’s behavior is not normal and his status as the best goalkeeper in the world does not matter in my eyes.
“He was not up to the task, and he must have the humility to recognise it.
“No coach in the world, regardless of the level at which his team plays, can let something like this slide.
“We undoubtedly had to brief Castagne at length before his appearance at a press conference on Tuesday noon, but I remain firm: he has no excuses to offer to Courtois for having spoken the truth. Rather the opposite should happen.”
