After Lennart Karl’s bitter World Cup exit, there is at least a small ray of hope for FC Bayern. For the first time, national coach Julian Nagelsmann has given a concrete assessment of the attacking talent’s downtime – and it is much more positive than initially feared
The disappointment of missing out on the World Cup continues to run deep for Lennart Karl. The 18-year-old tore a muscle bundle in his left thigh during the final training session for the German national team and had to bury his dream of taking part in the World Cup shortly before the start of the tournament
The Bayern youngster is now back in Munich, where he will soon begin his rehabilitation phase
After the initial diagnoses, it was initially unclear how long Karl would actually be out for, but now national coach Julian Nagelsmann has given a concrete prognosis for the first time
Speaking to RTL ahead of the World Cup dress rehearsal against the USA, the DFB coach explained: „Lenny will be out for four to six weeks, maybe a little longer – depending on how the recovery process goes. He’s a young player, so his recovery may progress a little faster. But definitely not fast enough for him to take part in the tournament.“
Bayern can hope for a quick return
Nagelsmann’s statements are likely to be greeted with relief, particularly at Säbener Straße, where there had been speculation in recent days that he would be out for much longer
If the national coach’s prognosis is correct, Karl could return to team training in the course of July, significantly increasing the chances that the attacking player will not miss the start of the summer preparations completely
As things stand, FC Bayern will begin preparations for the 2026/27 season on 20 July and, if his recovery progresses as planned, Karl could be ready to resume training by then or at least be on the verge of returning to the pitch
This would be particularly important for the 18-year-old. After his impressive rise over the past few months, Karl actually wanted to use the summer preparations to recommend himself for a bigger role under Vincent Kompany
Setback comes at an inopportune time
The injury hit the attacking player at a time when he could hardly have been in a better sporting position. Karl had recently come to the fore in the DFB team with strong performances and was even considered a candidate for the starting eleven at the World Cup
Despite the comparatively positive prognosis, the record champions will not take any unnecessary risks with Karl.