With the World Cup reaching the penultimate stage, club football is inching closer to full resumption. Several clubs have already started pre-season training with the players who didn’t participate in the World Cup. Bayern Munich have also seen players report for pre-season at Sabner Strasse this week.
The Bavarian club will see several young players initially report for the pre-season training. However, the big news of the first week of pre-season at Sabner Strasse has been the return of Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl to training on the grass.
Gnabry has started working on the grass and did a little bit of work with the ball. The German forward is far away from resuming first-team training. According to Bild, Bayern want to slowly integrate Gnabry into first-team training during the pre-season. The aim is to have him fully fit for the first competitive game of the season.
A productive last season for Gnabry ended abruptly in mid-April due to an adductor injury. The 30-year-old’s hopes of playing the World Cup ended as his injury needed three to four months to heal.
Gnabry was a crucial player for Bayern last season. He stepped up in the number ten position when Musiala was on the sidelines during the first half of the season. His positive performances helped him earn a contract extension at Bayern.
Despite the arrival of Ismael Saibari at Bayern this summer, Gnabry will have a key role to play for the Bundesliga Champions next season.
Lennart Karl is expected to feature in pre-season games for Bayern
Bayern’s breakout star from last season, Lennart Karl, was also seen going through light drills at Sabner Strasse this week. The young star suffered a serious muscle injury last month while training for the German national team in the USA.
Karl unfortunately missed out on playing for Germany in the World Cup as his injury occurred before the start of the tournament. It was a devastating blow for the youngster, as he had done exceptionally well in his debut full season with Bayern to earn a spot in the German squad. If he continues to perform well for Bayern, it is a matter of time him returning to the national team.
Lennart Karl is back on the pitch for the first time since his injury before the World Cup pic.twitter.com/kjquuHfjtg
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 8, 2026
The young forward’s injury is not as serious as that of Gnabry’s. He is expected to play for Bayern in the upcoming pre-season friendly games. After a sensational breakthrough season, Karl will look to refine his game and become even better for Die Roten next campaign. Die Roten have to be careful with his game time to ensure he doesn’t burn out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google