There is at least a small ray of hope at FC Bayern after the numerous recent injury worries: Lennart Karl has taken the next step on the road to his comeback. The 18-year-old completed his first running training session at Säbener Straße on Saturday
After tearing a muscle fibre in his right rear thigh, the winger was recently forced to sit on the sidelines. Now there are signs that his return is not too far away – even if patience is still required
According to a report in BILD, Karl has been doing his first laps of the training ground again – an important step after suffering the injury a few days after the Champions League first leg against Real Madrid
Since then, the talented attacking player has missed several matches, including the Bundesliga game against FC St. Pauli and the second leg against the Whites at the Allianz Arena
Return date remains open
It is still unclear when Karl will be able to return to team training. Officially, Bayern have been deliberately vague about the diagnosis and have only said that he will be out „for the time being“
According to Sky, the youngster could miss around three weeks – a time frame that at least gives hope of a return in the final sprint of the season
However, the fixture list leaves little room for manoeuvre. After the Bundesliga clash against VfB Stuttgart, FC Bayern face a crucial few weeks
The semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen awaits in the DFB Cup before the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain. Karl would be valuable as an additional option in attack for these games in particular
Glimmer of hope for Kompany
Following the absences of Serge Gnabry and Tom Bischof, the return of Karl would be an important factor for coach Vincent Kompany. The alternatives are currently limited, especially in attack
Whether it will be enough for the really big games remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the next step has been taken – and FC Bayern is growing hopeful that another building block will return in time for the final sprint of the season.