FC Bayern is specifically preparing Jonas Urbig to succeed Neuer. The 23-year-old is expected to play in significantly more and more important games in the future.
At FC Bayern, the planned transition in goal is apparently already being pushed forward significantly this season. Jonas Urbig is considered the designated successor to Manuel Neuer—and is now set to take on significantly more responsibility on his path to becoming the future number one.
As reported by Sport BILD, the Munich club has a clear plan for the 23-year-old. Urbig is expected to play in more competitive matches this season than he did last year. Last season, the former Cologne player made a total of 20 appearances.
According to the report, he could play around 25 matches this season. This would mean Neuer would have to sit out more often than he’s used to.
What’s particularly interesting is that Bayern doesn’t intend to use Urbig exclusively in supposedly easier matches. The national team goalkeeper is also expected to gain experience in key games.
Urbig is expected to play more often in the Champions League
According to information from Sport BILD, Bayern’s plan is to field Urbig more frequently in the Champions League this season. The 23-year-old is also expected to be between the posts more often in top Bundesliga matches.
The club’s leadership hopes this will prevent Urbig from suddenly having to take on full responsibility next summer without sufficient experience. Should Neuer retire at the end of the season, his successor is expected to have already played numerous matches at the highest level.
So far this season, Urbig has started four times in goal for FC Bayern. In total, he has already made 36 competitive appearances for the Munich club. The coming months, in particular, are now set to be used to further accelerate his development.
It has long been no secret that the club is planning for the long term with him. Vincent Kompany had already made it clear that Urbig is expected to rise to become the number one goalkeeper in the future.
Now Bayern is apparently taking the next step. Instead of using Urbig only when Neuer is injured or needs a break, his appearances will be planned more deliberately. In particular, matches with greater pressure and higher sporting significance are intended to help him prepare for the role of starting goalkeeper.
Urbig himself has recently demonstrated on several occasions that he can handle this responsibility. In his first two international matches for Germany against Serbia and Greece, he kept a clean sheet in both games.
At FC Bayern, he will now also be given more and more opportunities to show that he is ready for the post-Neuer era. The handover in Munich’s goal is not intended to happen overnight, but rather to be prepared step by step during the current season.