Jonas Urbig has made a name for himself with the DFB. Vincent Kompany is pleased with his development but is deliberately tempering expectations.
Jonas Urbig returns to FC Bayern from the German national team riding a wave of momentum. The 23-year-old kept a clean sheet in his first two international matches under Jürgen Klopp, reigniting the discussion about his future as the DFB’s starting goalkeeper.
At FC Bayern, too, Urbig has long been regarded as a player with a bright future. Nevertheless, Vincent Kompany does not want to artificially accelerate his goalkeeper’s development. The Bayern coach made it clear on Sky that while the positive performances for the national team are encouraging, they do not change the long-term plan.
Kompany said: “We’ve always had a lot of confidence in Jonas Urbig. When I say that, there’s a reason—it’s because I also believe he can take the next steps. But he’s not there yet; he’s still on his way, and for me, it’s precisely this daily work that’s the most important thing. I’m glad he’s coming back with positive stories, but that doesn’t influence—at least not to an excessive degree—what still needs to happen in the coming week for his development.”
The Belgian continued: “We’ve been committed to giving him playing time for his development since the start of this season and last season. We’ve chosen a very clear path with Manu as the number one and Jonas as the young player who is on his way to, hopefully, becoming the number one for Bayern—and for Germany—someday. But you can’t just talk your way into that. You have to perform, and you mustn’t forget that.”
Kompany sticks to the clear Neuer-Urbig plan
With this, Kompany once again confirms the clear hierarchy at FC Bayern. Manuel Neuer remains the number one, while Urbig is to be given targeted playing time and developed step by step. Back in September, Kompany had already made it clear that he believes his goalkeeper has what it takes to become the number one in the long term, both in Munich and in the DFB goal.
Urbig’s most recent performances have at least reinforced this assessment from a sporting perspective. In the 2-0 win over Serbia and the 0-0 draw against Greece, the Bayern goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in both matches and impressed with his composure, clean build-up play, and confident demeanor.
Lothar Matthäus recently even drew a comparison with the young Manuel Neuer and sees Urbig as a serious future contender for Marc-André ter Stegen’s position.
Kompany, however, does not want to be swept up in this momentum. For him, what matters most is how Urbig performs in daily training and how he makes the most of his upcoming appearances. The path to becoming the number one goalkeeper should not be determined by public expectations, but by consistent performance.
This is precisely the unique situation the 23-year-old currently finds himself in: With the DFB, he has made a name for himself with two strong performances, while at FC Bayern, he remains a challenger to Neuer for now. Kompany apparently sees no contradiction in this, but rather exactly the development path the club has envisioned for Urbig.