Bayern Munich forward Jann-Fiete Arp suffers a wrist injury during a training session on Wednesday.
After a long week without football, Bayern Munich travel away to Paderborn in the Bundesliga on Saturday. There will be few absentees for Die Roten on Saturday as Jann-Fiete Arp is the latest player to suffer injury.
Arp is yet to make his Bundesliga debut for Bayern. The German forward was fit for first gameweek but since then remained on the sideline due to illness. He eventually started training with the first team only to suffer a broken scaphoid bone in his left wrist during a training session on Wednesday.
Bayern confirmed late on Thursday that Arp underwent surgery on his wrist. He is expected to be on sidelines for a few weeks. The club has not given a fixed time frame for the return of 19-year old forward. Niko Kovac admitted in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that it is a difficult injury for the teenager.
This is a big setback for the German forward who joined Bayern from Hamburg in summer. After opting against a loan move in summer, Arp was eager to fight for his place at the club. These injuries are not helping his cause as there is fierce competition in the attacking department of the squad.
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Kovac meanwhile gave a positive update on David Alaba’s recovery from a thigh injury. The Austrian full-back could be in line to come off the bench against Paderborn. Alaba was initially expected to be out for several weeks after suffering a muscle injury during a warmup session during the game against RB Leipzig, two weeks ago.
Alaba’s return will allow Kovac to field his strongest back four in Champions League next week. Die Roten will face their first big European test of this season as they travel to London to face Tottenham Hotspurs on Tuesday. The English side is not in their best form right now but remain a formidable opposition as they finished runners-up in the competition last season.
Bayern meanwhile have to wait longer for return of Leon Goretzka. As per Kicker, Goretzka will need four weeks to completely recover from a thigh injury and start training with the first team. The German midfielder suffered this injury during the international break at the start of September.
Kovac can currently navigate through these three injury problems due to the depth of the squad. However, the return of Alaba will be a big boost as his return will allow Joshua Kimmich to continue playing in midfield. The Croatian has done well tactically this season, but the game against Spurs will show how much he has progressed after last season’s painful defeat against Liverpool.