Maycon Cardozo is working on his comeback after suffering a serious shoulder injury. The Bayern prospect could return even sooner than expected.
Good news from FC Bayern’s training facility: Maycon Cardozo appears to be making faster progress in his rehab than initially expected. The 17-year-old has already resumed individual training sessions on the field.
As reported by BILD, Cardozo trained for about 30 minutes on Friday under the guidance of rehabilitation coach Benjamin Sommer. During the session, the offensive player not only ran laps but also began working with the ball again at times. Just one day earlier, he had trained on the field for the first time since his injury.
This is quite surprising. Cardozo dislocated his shoulder on August 29 during Bayern’s reserve team’s 2-0 win over FV Illertissen. Shortly after the diagnosis, sporting director Christoph Freund had estimated a recovery time of three to four months. In the worst-case scenario, a return wouldn’t have been realistic until December.
Now, things could move much faster. According to information from BILD, his rehabilitation has gone perfectly so far. If this progress continues as he moves through the next stages of training, a comeback as early as November even seems possible.
Cardozo is fighting for his chance with Bayern’s first team
For Cardozo, an earlier return would be particularly important, especially with an eye toward his athletic prospects. The Brazilian had impressed Vincent Kompany during preseason and was allowed to travel with the first team on their Asian tour in early August.
An interesting opportunity could arise for the Campus talent, particularly on the left wing. Following Arijon Ibrahimovic’s loan to FC Augsburg, Kompany has no other regular left winger besides Luis Díaz. Cardozo could therefore play a role not only with the reserve team but also with the first team upon his return.
Max Eberl had already made it clear before Cardozo’s injury that Bayern has high hopes for the youngster. Speaking about Cardozo and Tim Binder, the sporting director said: “They’re definitely the kind of guys who might get their chance at some point during the season, just like some did last season. I think they’re very close.”
Cardozo had already gotten a taste of the Bundesliga twice last season. His shoulder injury initially brought his momentum to an abrupt halt.
Now the 17-year-old is making a step-by-step comeback. He’s also getting support from his family: His father, Douglas—a former professional striker for FC Santos—is currently in Munich and is accompanying his son during rehab. If his recovery continues to go this well, Cardozo could be back competing for his next chance with Kompany as early as this fall.