What’s next for Leon Goretzka at FC Bayern? After the knee injury and the temporary absence of defender Sacha Boey, there is at least one place in the squad available for the former national football player for the Champions League opener.
“We had to leave a player at home against Kiel. Sacha Boey is now out, so that’s not an issue,” said coach Vincent Kompany before Bayern’s opening game against Dinamo Zagreb this evening (9 p.m./DAZN). The 29-year-old Goretzka was missing from the 20-man squad for Munich’s 6-1 win over Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga at the weekend, just as he was missing from the DFB Cup win against SSV Ulm a few weeks earlier.
Goretzka benefits from Boey’s absence
Goretzka is currently in an extremely difficult position at Kompany after he was not persuaded to move as a candidate for sale in the summer transfer window. Sporting director Max Eberl made it clear to him several times that things would look bad for him in terms of playing time given the even greater competition in the defensive midfield.
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His teammates are watching Goretzka’s situation very closely. “Basically, we players are suffering too, as we have known him for a long time and appreciate him as a person and as a player,” said captain Manuel Neuer before the Zagreb game. “Leon has always been an important factor on the pitch. And that’s why everyone wants him to be back on the pitch and playing with us.”
“His time will come”
Neuer has no intention of writing off Goretzka, who has a lucrative contract in Munich until 2026 and has been a regular player and key player for years: “I believe in him. He is motivated to the core, you can see that in every training session. I am firmly convinced that his time will come.” At least he will get a place on the bench again against Zagreb.
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