Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will be out for the remainder of the year after fracturing a rib, head coach Vincent Kompany confirmed on Monday.
Neuer missed Saturday’s Bundesliga victory over Heidenheim due to the injury, sustained during last week’s German Cup defeat against Bayer Leverkusen. The 38-year-old collided with an opponent, resulting in a straight red card—his first ever.
Kompany stated: “He is nursing a broken rib. He will most likely not play any more this year. It is important for this to heal and from January we’ll have him again. It’s not too bad, but with so many matches it’s too early for him to play.”
Neuer joins a growing list of injured Bayern players, including top scorer Harry Kane, João Palhinha, Alphonso Davies, and Serge Gnabry, who will all miss Tuesday’s Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Champions League standings and outlook
Bayern currently sits 13th in the Champions League table with nine points, one point outside the automatic qualification spots for the last 16. Shakhtar Donetsk, their upcoming opponents, are in 26th place with four points, two points from a playoff position. The match will be played in Gelsenkirchen.
Despite the numerous injuries, Kompany expressed confidence in the team’s ability to cope: “The issue of injuries is that clearly we have a lot of people absent, but we held on well until now. From early January we will have a big squad again. We handled it well so far.” The upcoming winter break will provide an opportunity for injured players to recover, boosting the squad’s depth.
