Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has revealed goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has broken a rib and will not play in any of the club’s remaining three games of the year.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The legendary World Cup winner last played in the DFB Pokal against Bayer Leverkusen last week, being sent off in the 17th minute as the German giants slipped out of the national cup competition with a 1-0 defeat.
Neuer suffered a significant leg break at the end of 2022 during a skiing accident but still managed to end the 2023/24 season with 33 appearances in all competitions.
However, he now faces another spell on the sidelines and will be replaced by understudy Daniel Peretz in the starting XI.
Speaking ahead of Bayern’s Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, Kompany revealed: “He’s broken his rib. He probably won’t play again this year. The important thing is it now heals. Then hopefully we’ll have Manu back in January.”
On Peretz, the former Manchester City defender added: “I’d never ask a player to be a copy of another. He needs to play his game and has earned his minutes. Obviously we’d like to have Manuel fit, but that’s not the case right now. But we’ve not got any change to our game with Peretz. He’s earned it.”
Neuer’s injury is the latest in a long list of fitness blows for Kompany and Bayern. Harry Kane is already out with a hamstring problem, while the likes of Alphonso Davies, Joao Palhinha, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are also unavailable.
Bayern are in good shape in the Bundesliga despite their injury woes, sitting at the top of the table with a lead of six points after 13 games, but victories are needed in Europe if they are to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. They currently sit 13th in the new league table, having lost two of their five matches.
READ THE LATEST BAYERN NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
2024-12-10 14:30:00
