Serge Gnabry has been hampered by injuries for months now and is struggling with long periods of absence. The right winger has only played five Bundesliga games for FC Bayern this season. The 28-year-old could return to the squad against Lazio Roma, but head coach Thomas Tuchel has now dampened expectations regarding Gnabry’s immediate impact on the pitch.
At the press conference ahead of the landmark match against Lazio Roma, Tuchel said of Gnabry: „You can tell he’s been away for many months. There’s space on the bench. He still lacks rhythm.“
The 50-year-old continued: „I’ll have to talk to him about that. It’s possible that we’ll include him in the squad. But we’ve already realised that he still needs a while.“
Gnabry has been absent since the beginning of December due to a muscle tendon injury in his left adductor area. The attacking player last made an appearance in the 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
On that occasion, the right winger was substituted for Kingsley Coman in the 66th minute, but had to leave the pitch after just five minutes due to injury.
Gnabry has yet to play a game for the record champions in the 2024 calendar year. The Bayern star was already absent for weeks at the start of the season due to a broken forearm.
Is Gnabry a candidate for sale?
The 29-year-old was also heavily criticised before his injury misery. At the end of last season, he was still playing at a high level and was involved in six goals in five games in the final spurt.
However, Gnabry has now squandered this standing, and even before his recent absence, he was only fourth choice on the wingsunder Tuchel.
He is also one of the record champions‘ top earners with an annual salary of over 15 million. Neither the bosses at FC Bayern nor Gnabry himself are likely to be happy with the current situation.
It is therefore quite possible that the two could part ways in the summer. Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Manchester City and Real Madrid are apparently keeping a close eye on the situation.
