Manuel Neuer has been ruled out for the rest of 2024 after suffering a broken rib following a collision with Jeremie Frimpong.
…Neuer collided with Frimpong
…Kompany assesses injury
…Likely to miss rest of 2024
WHAT HAPPENED?
Kompany spoke to reporters ahead of Bayern’s Tuesday night Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, telling them that Neuer “probably won’t play again this year,” as per France24. This is after the 38-year-old’s catastrophic collision with Leverkusen’s Frimpong last week, which not only led to the German ‘keeper receiving a red card but also caused him this damaging injury.
WHAT KOMPANY SAID
Kompany said: “He’s got a broken rib, which means he probably won’t play again this year. What’s important is that it heals now. Hopefully from the start of January we’ll have Manu back, but for now it’s too early.” Addressing broader concerns about Bayern’s injury list, he added: “We’re missing a lot of players, but I think we’ve come through well so far.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Despite the fact that Kompany’s team look set to end 2024 top of the Bundesliga table after an excellent start, it hasn’t exactly been plain sailing for their long-standing No. 1 goalkeeper. Former Bayern and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann has been an outspoken critic of Neuer’s, telling Sky Sports: “There have been several situations this year where Neuer was responsible for goals or where he was lucky… his timing let him down on one or two occasions.”
WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?
Bayern’s back-up goalkeeper Sven Ulreich is hardly an ideal replacement having come under fire in the past for errors, but even he isn’t available to replace Neuer right now, with France24 reporting that Ulreich is currently out for personal reasons. That means Bayern will be forced to rely on their third-choice goalie, Daniel Peretz, in the coming weeks.
Goal
