Bayern Munich: Leon Goretzka set to avoid surgery for knee injury
There was an injury/covid crisis in the midfield department at Bayern Munich during the final weeks of 2021. The defending Bundesliga champions managed to navigate this tricky period as Marc Roca and Jamal Musiala stepped up and delivered good performances in the center of the park.
Die Roten was without Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich for most of December. Kimmich missed games after testing positive from coronavirus. Corentin Tolisso also missed the final two league games of 2021 due to injury.
Rekordmeister was without Leon Goretzka ever since the victory against Borussia Dortmund in December. He missed the remaining four games in the same month and remained on the sidelines after the winter break. However, there is a significant and crucial development on his injury.
According to Bild, Goretzka will not go under the knife to sort his knee injury. The German international has been consulting various specialists to get an opinion on this troubling knee injury. As per this report, he is going to be slowly eased into action. There is still no clear date for his return, but ruling out surgery surely suggests that he will not be out for long.
Update #Goretzka: Yes, no surgery (according to BILD). But his comeback is still unclear. He will definitely miss the match against @fckoeln on Saturday. @SkySportNews 🔴
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) January 11, 2022
Julian Nagelsmann will be hoping that Goretzka is completely by the time Champions League resumes in February. The German international plays a big role in the current squad. After operating as a number ten during his debut season, Goretzka now plays as number six or eight for the Bavarian club. The departure of Thiago in 2020 made sure that Goretzka gets consistent playing time in the center of the park.
Goretzka’s versatility and commendable work rate make him a valuable asset to Nagelsmann’s team. The German international’s consistency in the past few seasons was rewarded by the club with a new long-term deal at the start of the current campaign.
Leon Goretzka has formed a great partnership with Joshua Kimmich in the center-back. The duo has a bright future ahead of them with Bayern and Germany. The Bavarian faithful will be hoping that both of them remain injury-free for the rest of the season.
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While Goretzka has been ruled out for the weekend’s game against FC Koln, Rekordmeister will have numerous senior players available for this game. Manuel Neuer is back in training after recovering from coronavirus, while Lucas Hernandez and Tanguy Nianzou are also out of isolation. Kingsley Coman, Omar Richards, and Corentin Tolisso are also likely to play a part against Koln.