Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer confident about playing in World Cup
With less than a month left for the World Cup, Manuel Neuer is on the sidelines at Bayern Munich due to a shoulder injury. The German shot-stopper has not played for Bayern since Der Klassiker at the start of October. Despite no clarity about his return, Neuer is not worried about missing the World Cup with Germany.
According to Sky Sports in Germany, Neuer is confident about being fit for the World Cup. The German goalkeeper will be eager to feature in the showpiece event since this will most likely be his last World Cup with Germany. The report from Sky Sports insists that Neuer is likely to feature for Bayern in next week’s final Champions League group game against Inter Milan.
Neuer had a brief training session outdoors on Thursday before moving inside to continue training. Julian Nagelsmann insisted that there is no new setback for Neuer. Certainly, Neuer will not be fit for the game against Mainz. A return to starting XI against Inter Milan will be a very good test for Neuer after being on the sidelines for three weeks.
Update: Nagelsmann says Neuer wasn't forced to stop training - the short session outdoors was planned, he then continued training indoors. Nevertheless, Neuer is not an option for Mainz [@kerry_hau] https://t.co/8EVwjwDKiw
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 27, 2022
Bayern is unlikely to rush Manuel Neuer into action since another setback now will definitely raise doubts over his participation in the World Cup. Moreover, Die Roten has a very able backup shot-stopper in Ulreich to call upon.
Sven Ulreich has done a good job in the absence of Neuer, as Bayern has kept three clean sheets in the last five games across all competitions. The latest clean sheet for Ulreich will be his most prized asset since it came at Camp Nou against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Manuel Neuer will ideally hope to play a few games in the next couple of weeks to build fitness for the World Cup. The 35-year-old goalkeeper will be looking to make up for the poor 2018 World Cup when Germany was knocked out in the group stages. Along with his goalkeeping, Neuer is also the skipper and one of the leaders in the dressing room of the national team. His presence is crucial for Germany on and off the pitch since Hansi Flick is likely to include several young players in the squad.
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Apart from Neuer, Leroy Sane and Lucas Hernandez are eyeing a return to complete fitness in the next few days. Sane is recovering from a muscle injury that he suffered a few days ago, while Hernandez has been on the sidelines since September due to an adductor injury. Bouna Sarr is set to miss the World Cup for Senegal due to a knee injury. The experienced right-back will not play again this year.