Bad news for FC Bayern and the German national team: Aleksandar Pavlovic is struggling with hip problems and is in danger of being ruled out for the upcoming international matches
The midfielder was surprisingly absent from the Munich squad for their 4-0 win over Union Berlin, and shortly before kick-off the club confirmed that hip problems were the reason for his absence – a diagnosis that is causing concern both in Munich and at the DFB
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made it clear that the heavy workload played a decisive role. „We tried everything, but when the games come so quickly one after the other, it’s not so easy,“ the Belgian explained on Sky before the match
At the same time, he underlined the importance of the 21-year-old for the coming weeks: „Pavlo is in good shape, but he will be very important for us in the coming weeks.“
A piquant fact: Kompany deliberately left open the question of whether Pavlovic could play for the German national team: „That’s not my topic.“
After the game, sporting director Christoph Freund gave an update and made it clear that a final decision will only be made in the coming days: „We will discuss it,“ said Freund in an interview with Sky. „Aleks has played a lot recently and complained of discomfort today. It would be bad for everyone involved if he were to suffer something worse. We have to be careful.“
Pavlovic would be the second FCB absentee
The development comes at an inopportune time for national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who will assemble his squad in Herzogenaurach on Monday to prepare for the upcoming tests against Switzerland and Ghana
The Bayern youngster has become a permanent fixture in the DFB team in recent months and is regarded as a serious candidate for the starting eleven
Pavlovic could have used the international matches to further recommend himself, especially in view of the World Cup in the summer
A bitter pill to swallow for the DFB squad: Pavlovic would be the second player to miss out alongside Jamal Musiala. The 23-year-old is struggling with ankle problems and was not nominated by Nagelsmann after consultation with Bayern
Bayern remain cautious
The situation is being assessed with particular sensitivity at Säbener Straße, where those responsible have recently emphasized several times how critically they are looking ahead to the international break – primarily due to the risk of injury
The memories of the previous year are still vivid: Bayern lost Alphonso Davies, among others, with a cruciate ligament rupture in the decisive phase of the season. Against this backdrop, Munich are likely to do everything they can to avoid taking any risks with Pavlovic
The injury has come at the worst possible time for the young midfielder himself, who has already established himself in the DFB team with nine international caps and wanted to play his way into the spotlight in the World Cup year
Whether he will be fit in time remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: for both FC Bayern and the national team, the most important thing at this stage is not to take any unnecessary risks.