Jamal Musiala will miss Bayern Munich's Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart on Friday. Manager Vincent Kompany confirmed on Thursday that the attacker is back in team training but not yet ready for squad selection.
“Basically, Jamal is doing relatively well,” Kompany said. “He is in team training today, but not in the squad for tomorrow.” The 21-year-old collapsed on the pitch during two pre-season friendlies, incidents attributed to side effects from an adjustment to his medication for a neurological dysfunction. This issue also kept him out of the Supercup win in Dortmund.
Kompany expressed optimism about the player's progress. Musiala has “reacted well” to a further adjustment of his medication. “At some point he will be back, we make the decisions hand in hand with all the experts. He is doing well,” the Belgian stated, without giving a specific return date.
Kompany has options
The manager has several alternatives for the attacking midfield role. As in the Supercup, Germany international Nathaniel Brown could start. Kompany also said Ismael Saibari is not “far away” from his first start. Another returnee is 18-year-old Lennart Karl, back in the squad after suffering a muscle bundle tear in early June. “We have to wait and see how big his role will be,” Kompany said of the youngster.
The opener against Stuttgart (Friday, 8:30 PM) kicks off a busy period. Bayern travel to second-division side VfL Osnabrück for the DFB-Pokal on September 2nd, followed by the second Bundesliga matchday at newly-promoted Schalke 04 on September 5th. The team's full schedule can be checked on our fixtures page. The squad aims to start the season with a win and build on the momentum from the Supercup triumph. This season's squad list is available at squad.
For Kompany, it is his first official league match in charge of Bayern. The task against Stuttgart, who finished sixth last season, is a demanding first test. Munich will have to manage without Musiala's creativity initially; he contributed 10 goals and 6 assists in the league last campaign. The coming weeks will show how the team copes in his absence.
