Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has reportedly been left out of the latest Costa Rica squad as he focuses on keeping the number one spot for his club ahead of Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian, a summer signing from Chelsea, has had to make do with a place on the bench in Real’s first two La Liga games, despite arriving as the club’s main big-name purchase this season.
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ESPN report of Navas missing international duty with Costa Rica, with no apparent injury problems to speak of for the shot-stopper.
Don Balon add some fire to the story, stating that this is an intentional move by Navas so that Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui cannot use his international duty fatigue as an excuse to drop him for Courtois at the next available opportunity.
The 31-year-old has, in fairness, been a fine performer for Los Blancos in recent years, doing well in the tough job of replacing club legend Iker Casillas and winning three Champions League titles in a row.
Quite why Real felt they needed to splash out on Courtois is not entirely clear, though the Spanish giants have a history of chasing the big names, regardless of how their current stars are performing.
It may be that Navas will have the last laugh after all.
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