FC Bayern will have to do without one of its greatest defensive talents for the long term. Cassiano Kiala tore his syndesmosis ligament during the Algarve Cup with the German U17 national team and will be out for several months, the record champions officially confirmed on Thursday
The German newspaper tz initially reported on the serious injury and suggested that he could be out for the season, but shortly afterwards the club announced that Kiala had suffered an ankle injury at the tournament in Portugal and had already undergone successful surgery
Injury against Portugal
The 17-year-old suffered the injury during the DFB U17s‘ 1-0 defeat against hosts Portugal. He had to be substituted by coach André Pawlak after just 32 minutes. It is now clear that the youngster will miss FC Bayern for several months
It is a bitter setback for Kiala at a time when he was developing rapidly. He made his Bundesliga debut at the end of last year, becoming the second-youngest player ever to make a professional appearance for FC Bayern
Big plan with the campus jewel
His market value was also recently assessed for the first time. At two million euros, the right-footer is one of the most valuable German U17 players. Kiala is held in high regard on campus
Markus Weinzierl, sporting director at the Bayern Campus, had recently attested to his great potential. „Cassiano was already regarded as a top talent in his age group in his position when he joined us and has also developed very well here. We have a clear plan for him,“ said Weinzierl. Kiala has been training regularly with the professionals for months, but continues to gain important match practice with the amateurs, in the U19s and in the Youth League
The injury has now set him back for the time being. FC Bayern hope that the defender will be able to continue his strong development after his rehabilitation. One thing is clear: patience will be required – the talent remains undisputed.
