FC Bayern is likely keeping a close eye on the situation surrounding Minjae Kim. Surprisingly, the center back is not on the roster for South Korea’s international match against Uzbekistan today.
The 29-year-old had already missed the team’s regular training sessions over the past two days. Instead, Kim completed a separate recovery program on both occasions. The South Korean Football Association cites increasing physical fatigue as the reason, resulting from the heavy workload of the past few weeks.
However, the Bayern Munich pro is not believed to have suffered a serious injury.
“Cumulative fatigue” for Minjae Kim
A representative of the South Korean national team commented on the center back’s situation: “Kim Minjae has completed separate recovery training sessions for two days in a row. This is not a serious injury that would require his removal from the roster; rather, it appears to be due to cumulative fatigue resulting from the many games he has played recently.”
Thus, there are currently strong indications that South Korea is sitting Kim out of the match against Uzbekistan primarily for load management reasons.
Nevertheless, from Bayern’s perspective, the news comes at an inopportune time. Immediately after the international break, Munich will resume an intense stretch of the season featuring several important matches.
Accordingly, the physical condition in which Kim returns to Munich is likely to be a decisive factor for Vincent Kompany.
Bayern Awaits Kim’s Return
The center back has repeatedly had to deal with physical problems and heavy workloads in the past. This makes it all the more important for Bayern that there is indeed no injury lurking behind the current training break.
Statements from the South Korean Football Association initially give the all-clear on this front. According to these statements, Kim was not removed from the squad due to a specific injury, but is instead being given additional recovery time following the heavy workload of the past few weeks.
It is still unclear when the 29-year-old will be able to fully resume team training.
For Bayern, the immediate course of action is to wait and see. If Kim is able to resume regular training upon his return to Säbener Straße, the current break will likely have been primarily a precautionary measure.