Thibaut Courtois sidelined with stomach flu, misses French TV appearance

Apparently Thibaut Courtois left a few TV people hanging in France this weekend when he canceled a scheduled appearance on ‘Telefoot’ at the last minute.

According to reports, the presenters of the TV show, Christian Jean-Pierre and Frederic Calenge “fumed” that Courtois was not very courteous — it’s a pun, you see — though I doubt they were actually angry considering that the Chelsea goalkeeper had a very good excuse: he came down with a case of gastroenteritis, i.e. stomach flu, just before his scheduled appearance on Sunday.

The show’s editor-in-chief wished a swift recovery for Courtois, who was not involved in Chelsea’s FA Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte will no doubt be wishing the same thing for Thibaut as Chelsea start preparations for Swansea City this coming weekend. While Asmir Begović is certainly a capable goalkeeper, he’s a slightly more shaky option at the back, as evidenced by some of the adventures in defending against Wolves. Stomach flu and its effects can last anywhere from a day to a week, depending on severity.

So, get well soon, Thibaut Courtois. We’re going to need you! (And don’t get anybody else sick.)