FC Bayern will continue to be without Jamal Musiala. The 23-year-old is working toward his comeback after suffering a torn muscle fiber in his right thigh, but the star forward’s return is taking longer than initially hoped. Sports director Max Eberl has now explained why the Munich club is taking a particularly cautious approach with Musiala and when the national team player might be back on the field.
Musiala was injured in late September while on international duty with the German national team. The attacking player has been sidelined for the German record champions ever since. Especially given the current injury crisis in the offense, his return to Säbener Straße is eagerly anticipated.
At least there has been some positive news recently: Musiala was able to complete another individual training session with the ball on Monday. However, the 23-year-old is still a long way from returning to team training. Ahead of the Champions League match against Atlético Madrid, Eberl offered an explanation for the delay.
Eberl explains: Musiala wasn’t fully prepared
“Jamal’s situation is well known. Due to his condition, he didn’t have optimal preseason preparation, and then he got injured while with the DFB, not with us,” explained the Bayern boss.
Eberl was referring to the difficult circumstances under which Musiala began the current season. The attacking player was unable to prepare for the season under optimal conditions before the muscle injury during the international break set him back once again.
Bayern therefore does not want to take any risks with the return of their key player. “It’s taking a little longer because we want him to be 100 percent fit,” Eberl emphasized.
The club’s management is thus prioritizing a full recovery rather than potentially rushing Musiala back too soon given the tight roster situation.
Will Musiala make his comeback after the international break?
At least Eberl was able to provide a more concrete outlook for the coming weeks. “I hope that he’ll be able to train more during the international break and rejoin team training—and then return to action after the international break.”
This points to a possible return in late November. However, this is contingent on Musiala successfully completing the next stages of his training regimen without any issues.
For FC Bayern, this would be an important step. With Ismael Saibari, Serge Gnabry, and Luis Díaz currently sidelined, the team is missing several attacking players. Saibari and Gnabry, in particular, will be unavailable to the Munich side for quite some time.
For this reason, too, a comeback by Musiala would be of great significance for the record champions.