The discussions surrounding Manuel Neuer show no signs of letting up at FC Bayern. Following his costly mistake in the 2-2 draw against FC Augsburg, the 40-year-old is once again the focus of criticism. While some experts are already speculating about the end of his career, sporting director Max Eberl is demonstratively standing behind the longtime Bayern captain.
Last weekend, Neuer’s failed attempt to chip the ball over an opponent led to the fastest goal in Bundesliga history. Augsburg’s Robin Fellhauer capitalized on the mistake with clinical precision.
The blunder has reignited the debate over whether Neuer is still the right starting goalkeeper for the German record champions. After all, a promising successor in Jonas Urbig is ready to step in.
Eberl makes it clear: “Manu is our number one.”
Ahead of the Champions League match against Viking Stavanger, Eberl was asked on Amazon Prime Video about the future of the Bayern captain.
The sporting director left no doubt whatsoever about the current division of roles. “The truth is, he’s our number one. He extended his contract this summer, and we’re really happy about that,” Eberl emphasized.
The 53-year-old also explicitly highlighted Urbig’s development. “We have an outstanding lineup in goal, including Sven Ulreich, who pushes both of them. Jonas is on an outstanding path, but Manu is our number one.”
Eberl thus made it clear that, despite recent discussions, the record champions have no plans for a short-term goalkeeper change.
“That has nothing to do with age.”
The Bayern boss was particularly unwilling to accept criticism of Neuer’s age. “He made a mistake against Augsburg; he tried to solve it with a soccer move, and it backfired. That has nothing to do with age,” Eberl explained.
He received support from World Cup champion Christoph Kramer, who was also part of the expert panel on Amazon Prime Video. “If Neuer were 27, everyone would say, ‘That can happen.’ But because he’s 40 now, everyone says, ‘He’s past his prime.’”
These statements show that the club’s leadership continues to have faith in Neuer.
Nevertheless, the goalkeeper debate is likely to continue to be a topic of discussion for the Munich club in the coming weeks. Urbig is gaining more and more playing time and is considered the designated successor.
For now, at least, the hierarchy at FC Bayern is clear: as long as Neuer is available, he remains the number one.