Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer takes big step towards return

The goalkeeping department at Bayern Munich has been subject to a lot of debate in Germany throughout the summer. There has been uncertainty over the return of Manuel Neuer as he had to undergo one more surgery in the summer. Moreover, Yann Sommer also left Die Roten to join Inter Milan.

Bayern were exploring several options to strengthen the goalkeeping department, but they couldn’t get deals over the line for the likes of David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Both Spanish goalkeepers preferred other destinations over a move to Munich. Eventually, Die Roten decided to sign Daniel Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The club chiefs decided to stick with Sven Ulreich as number two, while Peretz will provide competition to Ulreich. It does look like a decision to add a junior goalkeeper makes sense after Manuel Neuer took a big step towards regaining complete fitness.

Bayern confirmed on Monday that Neuer had completed the first training session with the goalkeepers at Sabner Strasse. The German goalkeeper has been working behind closed doors individually during the last few weeks after undergoing a second surgery on his leg.

Previously, it was widely reported Neuer would make a return to action after the first international break in September. The German goalkeeper will look to make his return for Bayern against Bayer Leverkusen after the international break. Die Roten are not giving a definitive date for Neuer’s return as they don’t want to rush him back to action after such a long break.

Neuer suffered a serious leg injury in December due to an accident during a ski trip. The German goalkeeper ended up missing the entire second half of the season. He was expected to make a return before the start of the pre-season tour in July. However, the recovery process took longer than initially expected.

Considering the lengthy layoff, it makes sense for Bayern to allow Neuer to not rush his return. The German international cannot afford another setback in the recovery process. Sven Ulreich has done a decent job in the goal during the first couple of Bundesliga games. He is expected to start against Monchengladbach on Saturday, while Peretz will be on the bench.

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Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala was also spotted training individually at Sabner Strasse on Monday. The young attacking midfielder missed the game against Augsburg due to a minor muscle injury. It remains to be seen if he will recover in time to play against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.