Courtois happy at Chelsea Hiddink

Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink has played down suggestions goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is keen to leave Stamford Bridge.

Reports in England have suggested the Belgium number one has a frosty relationship with the club’s goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon which has prompted a desire to leave at the end of the season.

However, Hiddink, who himself will depart in June and be replaced by Antonio Conte, says the former Atletico Madrid ‘keeper has told him he is happy and will stay.

The Dutchman told a news conference: “They are working as a group, as goalies do, in their reduced area.

“They are different personalities but they do well, they work hard. The most important thing is that Courtois said he is very happy at Chelsea and will stay at the club.

“If [Chelsea media chief] Steve [Atkins] and I have a big dispute, we have to fight each other out of this hall. That’s not what is going on – they are happy here.”

Chelsea ended Tottenham’s Premier League title bid by hitting back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with their London rivals on Monday.

And Hiddink has demanded a similar performance against relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

He said: “We said before when nothing was at stake that, being at a big club, the obligation was there to act well as a player.

“They did that in the previous games and we are going into the last three games with that attitude.

“We would love to win. It’s a different game, we are regarding their situation now in the relegation zone.

“It does not make it easy, they have a very experienced manager who will fine tune the team in the right way.”

That obligation to perform for the likes of Norwich City and Newcastle United – the other two sides fighting for Premier League survival – means Hiddink is unlikely to make a raft of changes for the trip to Wearside.

“There is nothing at stake, no silverware, but there is pride and football enjoyment,” he added.

“For the teams still fighting against relegation, they deserve us to go for the win.

“I am not going to change a lot in the team – take six or seven players from the academy – that would not be fair.

“Given the situation, it is not fair to give a serious approach to the Spurs game and not the other ones.”

“For the teams still fighting against relegation, they deserve us to go for the win.

“I am not going to change a lot in the team – take six or seven players from the academy – that would not be fair.

“Given the situation, it is not fair to give a serious approach to the Spurs game and not the other ones.”

Report by OmniSport