Joshua Kimmich is back training with the team, but Vincent Kompany remains cautious. There are also new signals from Musiala, Stanisic and Gnabry
Joshua Kimmich is back on the training pitch – at least at first glance. After a break of almost four weeks due to persistent ankle problems, which have been with him since November, there are increasing signs that the Bayern star is getting closer to a comeback. But how resilient is the 30-year-old really? And why is Vincent Kompany publicly sending different signals to what was happening at Säbener Straße?
Public braking, secret progress
On Tuesday morning, Kompany had made his position clear before the final training session for the Bundesliga match in Cologne. „He hasn’t trained with the team yet, but I hope that will change in the next two or three days,“ explained the Bayern coach. A statement that initially sounded unambiguous and practically ruled Kimmich out for Wednesday evening
But just a few hours later, a completely different picture emerged. As BILD reported, Kimmich was spotted walking out of the dressing room onto the training pitch with his team-mates at 1.55pm. The DFB captain looked focused, motivated and right in the thick of things. When the officials noticed that part of the pitch was visible, the opaque curtain was frantically drawn. A detail that perfectly reflects the game of hide-and-seek surrounding Kimmich
The midfield strategist had already stepped onto the pitch on Friday and completed sprints and changes of direction with full intensity in an individual rehab session on Monday. In purely physical terms, Kimmich therefore appears to be much further along than the official statements suggest. Whether Kompany is deliberately acting tactically or simply not wanting to take any risks remains to be seen
Hope for Musiala, patience for Stanisic
Alongside Kimmich, Jamal Musiala was also back on the pitch with the team on Tuesday. The 22-year-old is continuing to work on his comeback after breaking his fibula in July. Musiala has been training with the team again since mid-December and has also been involved in duels since the beginning of January. Nevertheless, it is still too early for him to play in Cologne
Kompany, however, raised hopes of an imminent return. „Maybe I’ll have something new to tell you at the next press conference,“ said the Belgian with a view to the upcoming Bundesliga match at RB Leipzig. A cautiously optimistic tone that shows Musiala is on the home straight
The situation with Josip Stanisic is less encouraging. The full-back suffered a capsular ligament injury in his right ankle in the 8-1 defeat to Wolfsburg and will miss FC Bayern for some time to come. „He won’t be playing in January,“ Kompany made clear, adding that a call-up in February is still open and heavily dependent on the healing process
Defensive concerns and offensive options
The personnel situation in defence remains tense. Alphonso Davies is still missing due to gastrointestinal problems, Sacha Boey has been suffering from an infection for days and there is also a question mark over Minjae Kim due to thigh problems. Hiroki Ito or Tom Bischof could again help out at left-back
In attack, there is at least a slight all-clear: Serge Gnabry will be back in the squad after missing out against Wolfsburg due to illness, as reported by BILD
Raphael Guerreiro, who has impressed with his goals and assists of late, could once again play an important role. „Rapha has now repeatedly strengthened the attacking side with his goals and assists,“ praised Kompany. For players like Luis Díaz or Michael Olise, this could even mean a little breather
The key question remains: How fit is Joshua Kimmich really? The answer to this is probably only known to the player himself – and Vincent Kompany, who is deliberately keeping the issue under wraps.