The World Cup 2022 ended in a cruel manner for Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez. The French defender was ruled out for the rest of the tournament after rupturing ACL in his right knee during the first group game against Australia. It is a big blow for the defender as he had worked hard in the last month to be ready for the World Cup after recovering from an adductor injury.
Bayern confirmed on Friday that Hernandez has undergone surgery to repair the torn ACL. He will now begin the long recovery process, which will see him ruled out for the rest of the campaign. It is devastating news for Bayern since Hernandez has been a mainstay in the heart of defense under Julian Nagelsmann.
Die Roten held positive talks with Hernandez before the World Cup to extend his contract. According to SportBild, Bayern remains keen to secure his future sooner rather than later despite the serious cruciate ligament injury. A new deal will further highlight the importance of Hernandez in the current squad.
The French international is entering the peak years of his career, so it makes sense to hand him a new long-term deal. He had a few long injury layoffs during his time in Bavaria, but they have largely been contact injuries instead of muscle injuries. Hernandez has been very unfortunate when it comes to injuries.
Considering the warrior mentality Hernandez possess, he will definitely bounce back strongly from the recent injury setback. Die Roten has no doubt about his quality, so a contract extension could be announced in the second half of the season once negotiations with his representatives are concluded.
France will also sorely miss Hernandez during the World Cup campaign. He has been a key player for Didier Deschamps in the left-back position over the past four years. The former Atletico Madrid center-back excelled in the 2018 World Cup when France won the tournament. His brother-Theo Hernandez, will be the first-choice left-back for France in the remaining games of the tournament.
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Meanwhile, Bayern will not sign a center-back in January to compensate for Hernandez’s injury setback. Hasan Salihamidzic is not a big fan of the winter transfer window, and the top-quality options are not available in January. Moreover, Die Roten has good enough options in central defense to cope with the absence of Lucas Hernandez.
Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano will be the first choice center-back partnership for Nagelsmann during Ruckrunde. Benjamin Pavard will also get more opportunities in central defense, while Josip Stanisic and Joshua Kimmich can also be used in this position if needed.