Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is delighted to have made his debut.

Discussing the fact that he had to sit out three matches before victory over Leganes, Courtois believed this was logical.

"I arrived late to pre-season, so it's normal," he said. "Plus, I had a pain in my knee after the second training session.

"So it made sense that I had to train well for a few weeks first.

"The coach has managed things excellently.

"I'm happy that I was allowed to play last weekend."

The focus for the goalkeeper this weekend is the Belgian national team and he explained that there's a desire to avoid a World Cup hangover, after finishing third in Russia.

"We take very match seriously, even ones against Scotland and Iceland," he said.

He also discussed his nomination for FIFA's best goalkeeper of the year award and dismissed the suggestion that his transfer to Real Madrid helped him.

"I don't think that's the case," he said.

"We'll see if I win it, I hope so."