Thibaut Courtois not ready for Chelsea

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed that he does not yet feel ready for life in the first team at Stamford Bridge.

The 19-year-old, who signed from Genk for £5m in the summer, believes that he needs to play English football on loan elsewhere before being worthy of a Blues starting place.

Courtois told RTBF: "I think that before going to Chelsea, I have to play one or two years in another English team to discover the football played there.

"After that, we'll see if I am ready to move to Chelsea. It's hard to say now."

Courtois is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid and has been receiving rave reviews, although the Belgian international admits that he found life in Spain tough early on.

He added: "At first it was difficult. When I arrived, I found myself alone at the hotel. I almost wanted to cry.

"My teammates helped me. I learned the Spanish language and all is well now.

"If Madrid wants me to stay one more season and Chelsea accept, we'll see."

Courtois made his league debut in Belgium at the age of 16 years and 341 days.