Yet another injury blow for Bayern Munich occurred on Tuesday when Colombian superstar James Rodriguez tore a ligament in his knee.
The Bayern Munich injury list continues to grow. The Bavarians are already without key players Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso and Thiago Alcantara. They will now be without Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez for the coming weeks.
According to a report from Bayern’s official website, James suffered a partial tear of his lateral collateral ligament in his left knee in Tuesday’s training session. He was evaluated by Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wolhfahrt, who determined the severity of his injury.
No official date has been set for the Colombian’s return, but he will certainly be out for a few weeks. He could even miss the rest of Bayern’s games this calendar year. The report confirms he will rest for 10 days before beginning his rehabilitation process.
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Kingsley Coman, who is inching nearer and nearer to his return, was injured in Bayern’s first Bundesliga game of the season. The Frenchman suffered the same ankle injury that kept him sidelined for much of last season and has been out since.
Coman was expected to be one of the Bavarians’ key players this season, especially after an excellent preseason campaign. His absence has left Die Roten weakened on the wing, having to rely heavily on Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben — neither of whom have been effective at all this season.
Corentin Tolisso, meanwhile, suffered a serious injury in his first competitive start of the season. He scored his first goal just minutes into Bayern’s match against Bayer Leverkusen, but was pulled from the fray just before half-time. It was later confirmed that Coco would miss much of the 2018-19 season with a torn ACL.
Finally, Thiago picked up an injury just a few weeks ago. The Spaniard hurt his ankle in Bayern’s 2-1 win over fourth division side SV Rodinghausen. He should be back on the pitch, though, within the coming weeks. However, it is still possible he will miss the rest of 2018.
With James, Thiago and Tolisso all out injured, Bayern find themselves facing some depth issues in midfield. Thomas Muller, Leon Goretzka, Renato Sanches and Javi Martinez are the only fit midfielders left in the first team squad.
Still, that is not quite as concerning as Bayern’s lack of depth at other positions. The club’s lack of quality back-up options at both full-back and on the wings is the real cause for concern.
Alphonso Davies joins the club in January, so he’ll help mend the issues going forward, but Bayern really need another full-back soon. Waiting til the summer, as Uli Hoeness recently suggested they would, might not be the best idea. Bayern need to dip into the winter transfer market to shore up their squad for the important phases of the season.