What’s next for FC Bayern’s Leon Goretzka? After a knee injury and the temporary loss of defender Sacha Boey, there is at least one place left in the squad for a retired international footballer when the Champions League season begins.
“We had to leave a player at home against Kiel. Now that Sacha Boey is out, that’s not a problem,” coach Vincent Kompany said ahead of Bayern’s opening game against Dinamo Zagreb this evening (9pm/DAZN). Goretzka, 29, was left out of Munich’s 20-man Bundesliga squad for last weekend’s 6-1 win over Holstein Kiel, having also missed the DFB Cup win at SSV Ulm a few weeks ago.
Goretzka benefited from Boy’s defeat
Goretzka is currently having an extremely difficult time at Kompany, having failed to persuade the player to move as a sales candidate during the summer transfer window. Sporting director Max Eberl has made it clear to him on several occasions that the situation will not be good for him in terms of game time as the competition for defensive midfield becomes more intense.
The team is monitoring Goretzka’s situation very closely. “Basically, our players are suffering because they have known him for a long time and they value him as a person and as a player,” captain Manuel Neuer said ahead of the Zagreb game. “Leon has always been an important factor on the pitch. So everyone wants him back on the pitch and playing for us.”
“His time will come”
Neuer has a lucrative contract with Munich until 2026 and does not want to criticize Goretzka, who has been a regular and top performer for many years. “I trust him. He is also motivated by the core, which you can see in every training session. I am absolutely sure that his time will come.” He will at least be on the bench again against Zagreb.
