It has been a difficult season for Jamal Musiala at Bayern Munich. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder missed the first half of the season after suffering a serious ankle injury during the Club World Cup. Since returning from this injury, Musiala has found it difficult to get back to his normal.
Bayern were fortunate that other forwards have been in fine form this season, which has given Musiala the leeway to take time and get back the match rhythm. The German midfielder suffered a setback in March, but returned in time to be fit for the business end of the season.
Vincent Kompany is not taking any chances with Musiala as he is slowly integrating the attacking midfielder back into the starting XI. He came on as a substitute against Real Madrid on Tuesday. There is a good chance Bayern will continue to manage his workload to ensure he is back to his absolute best.
Despite a challenging season, Musiala is expected to be part of Germany’s squad for the World Cup in the summer. However, Bayern legend Oliver Kahn believes going to the World Cup will not be the best outcome for Musiala. While talking to Sky Sports in Germany (via iMiaSanMia), Kahn insisted that Musiala should look to skip the World Cup to build fitness during the summer.
"He should forgo participating in the World Cup. If I feel that something is wrong with my game, then I have to work on myself to be ready again."Oliver Kahn on Jamal Musiala
Eberl disagrees with Kahn’s comments about Musiala
As soon as Kahn urged Musiala to skip the World Cup, there was bound to be a reaction from Bayern Munich. While talking to Sky Sports on Friday, Max Eberl insisted that it makes no sense for a player to miss the World Cup voluntarily if he is completely fit. He believes that things will click for Musiala very quickly and backs him to have a big positive impact on the pitch for Bayern sooner rather than later.
Musiala has played 454 minutes for Bayern this season. He has chipped in with three goals and two assists in the limited game time. It is evident Musiala is not at his best right now, but he can still make a difference on the pitch, which makes him a valuable player to have in the World Cup squad.
The Bavarian faithful will hope Musiala has reserved his best for the next few weeks as Bayern look to make a case for a treble. It will be incredible if the German attacking midfielder comes up with a big goal or an assist against Real Madrid on Wednesday in front of a packed Allianz Arena to kick-start his career.