When will Jamal Musiala return to the field? This question is currently on the minds of many FC Bayern fans. After suffering a torn muscle fiber in his right thigh, the 23-year-old has been working intensively toward his comeback. It now appears that a timeline is emerging for when the German national team player could take the field again for Munich.
Musiala was injured on September 24 while warming up before the Nations League match against the Netherlands. The attacking player has been sidelined for the German record champions ever since. At least he was able to resume individual training on the field for the first time this week, completing running drills as well as light exercises with the ball.
According to information from BILD, both Musiala and Bayern expect him to be sidelined for a total of three to four weeks. This means it’s already certain that the star forward will miss the upcoming competitive matches against FC Augsburg and Viking Stavanger in the Champions League.
Bayern Plans Musiala’s Return Against Freiburg
As reported by the tz, there is now a concrete plan regarding the date of his return. According to the report, the Munich club is planning for Musiala to rejoin the squad on October 25 for the away Bundesliga match against SC Freiburg.
This means the 23-year-old would likely miss both the top Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig on October 17 and the Champions League showdown against Arsenal on October 21.
For Bayern, a return against Freiburg would still be good news. After all, the prestigious showdown with Borussia Dortmund is on the schedule just a few days later.
On October 31, Munich will face BVB. If Musiala’s rehabilitation continues to go according to plan, the attacking player could once again be an option for Vincent Kompany in the classic derby.
However, there is no guarantee that this timeline will be met. The key factor remains how Musiala’s body reacts to the increasing physical demands.
Kompany doesn’t want to take any risks with Musiala
FC Bayern is well aware that Musiala’s return requires special caution. The national team player has recently had to cope with several health setbacks.
Before his current muscle injury, Musiala said he had been struggling with brief, neurologically caused lapses in consciousness. After taking a break from training and adjusting his medication, he was initially able to play again without any problems before the thigh injury set him back once more.
Consequently, officials at the record-holding champions are determined to avoid a premature return at all costs. The priority is for Musiala to make a full recovery and then be available on a long-term basis.
Kompany, too, recently emphasized how important patience is in such situations. The Bayern coach is familiar with extended injury layoffs from his own playing career and is convinced that Musiala can emerge stronger from this difficult phase.
The coming weeks will now show whether the targeted return date against Freiburg can actually be met. For Bayern, it would be an important step to have their star attacker back in time for the match against Borussia Dortmund.