Injury woes continue to plague FC Bayern. While most of the team is on international break, things remain busy at Säbener Straße. Several injured stars are currently working on their comebacks. The situation is particularly grim for new signing Ismael Saibari, who still has a long road ahead of him following his serious injury.
As reported by BILD, the 25-year-old appeared on crutches at the German record champions’ training facility on Tuesday morning. The Moroccan was driven to Säbener Straße by a driver and then made his way toward the locker room area wearing a special shoe on his right foot.
Saibari suffered a torn syndesmotic ligament in his right ankle during the 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund on October 31. Just one day later, the forward had to undergo surgery. Since then, the 50-million-euro new signing from Eindhoven has been undergoing daily treatments with Bayern’s doctors and physical therapists.
Saibari will be sidelined for at least three months.
The prognosis for the Moroccan international is sobering. According to information from BILD, Munich will have to do without Saibari for at least three months. A return is therefore unlikely before next year at the earliest.
For coach Vincent Kompany, the long-term absence is a major setback. After all, Bayern had signed the attacking player just this summer for around 50 million euros.
In addition to Saibari, Manuel Neuer is also currently working on his recovery. The 40-year-old was also at Säbener Straße on Tuesday, where he underwent therapy.
The Bayern captain suffered a partial tendon tear in his right foot during the team’s recent 2-1 victory over Mainz 05. Neuer had already missed several matches due to tendon irritation in the same area.
According to BILD, the 2014 World Cup champion is no longer expected to make a comeback this calendar year. Jonas Urbig is set to guard the Munich goal until at least Christmas.
Musiala and Díaz are making great progress
The news regarding two other Bayern stars is much more encouraging. Both Jamal Musiala and Luis Díaz are well on their way back to team training.
Díaz, who suffered a torn muscle in his left thigh about two weeks ago, completed additional individual sessions on the field on Tuesday. Bayern shielded the training session with privacy screens.
As reported by BILD, the Colombian has been working with the ball again since this week. The same goes for Musiala, who has been sidelined for nearly seven weeks following a muscle fiber tear in his right thigh.
Both offensive players are expected to return to team training as early as next week.
There is even hope that Musiala could be back in the squad for the first time on November 20 against 1. FC Köln.
Díaz, on the other hand, is likely to need a little more time. According to BILD, the 29-year-old’s possible return dates are the Champions League match against OSC Lille on November 25 or the Bundesliga clash at Hamburger SV on November 28, at the earliest.
This suggests that, at least on the offensive end, the tight personnel situation is beginning to ease slightly.