Lennart Karl is now regarded as one of FC Bayern’s biggest talents. Last year, a loan of the attacking player was even discussed at times
Lennart Karl’s development at FC Bayern continues apace. The youngster is now a permanent member of Vincent Kompany’s professional squad and even has hopes of playing in the World Cup
However, the talented attacking player’s career almost took a completely different course
As reported by the Münchner Abendzeitung newspaper, there were intense discussions about Karl’s future at the Bayern campus in the spring of 2025. At the time, the then 18-year-old was still playing for the Munich U17s – and was already considered internally to be clearly underchallenged
For this reason, there are said to have been concrete thoughts of loaning Karl out directly
Loan to the Bundesliga 2 was an issue
According to the report, those responsible at the time discussed skipping the U19s and second team altogether
Instead, a loan to the Bundesliga 2 or even abroad was apparently on the table
The reason: Internally, Karl was believed to have great potential, but at the time hardly anyone expected him to make a quick breakthrough with the professionals under Vincent Kompany
In the end, Bayern decided against a loan – a decision that has since paid off
Karl immediately impressed with the pros
In the first few weeks of the season, Karl showed that he could obviously take the next step without a stopover
He scored his first assist in the 4:1 win against Hoffenheim on the fourth Bundesliga matchday, followed by further strong performances with a total of five goals and five assists in the Bundesliga
He also put in highly acclaimed performances in the Champions League – including against FC Brugge and FC Arsenal
His technique and first touch in particular have been the subject of great enthusiasm internally for months
„I’m not putting any pressure on myself,“ Karl had already explained before his injury. „I’m playing my soccer and then I hope it works out that I’ll be at the World Cup.“
Injury slowed the youngster down recently
At the beginning of April, however, Karl tore a muscle fiber in his right rear thigh
Since then, the attacking player has not played the full 90 minutes, most recently coming on as a substitute in the final stages of Vincent Kompany’s 1-0 win over Wolfsburg
According to the report, Bayern do not want to rush into anything after the injury, but it is also important that Karl is able to show his qualities to national coach Julian Nagelsmann once again.