Arjen Robben desperate to play for Bayern Munich again this season
Arjen Robben desperately wants to play a competitive game for Bayern Munich again this season ahead of his impending summer departure.
Bayern Munich have struggled heavily with injuries in the last few seasons, consistently missing key players at important stages of the season. Their rotten luck hasn’t shown any signs of leaving since the arrival of Niko Kovac. The Croatian manager has lost fewer players to injuries this season than his predecessors in previous campaigns, but the injuries he has had to deal with have been pretty severe.
Arjen Robben has been one of the more unlucky players for Bayern this season, spending most of his time on the treatment table. The Dutchman is frustrated with his ongoing problems as he has not played for Bayern since November. He did join the team in training this week, but he is unlikely to feature against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Speaking to the Bundesliga’s official website, Robben asserted that he is doing all he can to play for Bayern again this season. The Dutchman doesn’t want to end his time at the club on such a sour note. Interestingly, he still has no plans to retire despite his absence this season.
"“I want to play one more time, to pull on that kit one more time. That’s the most important thing of all. I don’t care when that is.“The past months have been hard but I love football. If my body holds up, I’d like to carry on.”"
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Robben has enjoyed a fine career at Bayern Munich, spanning ten seasons. He has been a pivotal figure in the club’s success this decade. The Dutchman will be fondly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final at Wembley in 2013. Robben would ideally like to end his time at Bayern by playing a decisive role in the final few games of the season, help Bayern retain the Bundesliga trophy for the seventh season in a row.
The former Real Madrid man is not as effective on the pitch as he used to be, but he will be sorely missed in the dressing room. Robben is an ideal player to have around the likes of Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies. The veteran winger still wants to prolong his playing career, but it’s likely he returns to Bayern at some point in the future in another capacity.
Bayern Munich have their task cut out this summer finding a replacement for Robben. Coman and Gnabry are both at their best on the left flank — though Gnabry has been excellent on the right side this season — while Davies is still not yet ready to become the team’s first choice right winger. Die Roten are reportedly looking at Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Pepe as the ideal candidates to fill this role. Bayern failed with four bids for the English teenager in January, while some reports suggest the club is preparing a big offer for Pepe.
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Robben, meanwhile, is yet to decide his next destination. He has been heavily linked with his former clubs FC Groningen and PSV Eindhoven. The two Dutch teams are reportedly eager to bring their former player at the club next season. Robben will have to lower his wage demands to join either club, but the former Chelsea winger is now solely focused on getting fit as soon as possible.