Hiroki Ito sets eye on Bayern Munich debut at the end of October
Bayern Munich have fielded a center-back pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae in the majority of the games this season. Vincent Kompany believes in the quality of both center-backs, but their performances have been inconsistent. Moreover, the Belgian coach doesn’t have more options to rotate in this position at Bayern since Hiroki Ito has been on the sidelines since the summer.
Ito arrived in Munich at the start of the summer when Bayern activated the release clause of €30 million in his contract at VfB Stuttgart. Unfortunately, the Japanese center-back broke his foot during a pre-season friendly in Germany at the start of the summer. He is yet to play a competitive game for Die Roten.
The wait to don a Bayern jersey in a competitive game is coming to an end for Ito. The 25-year-old defender has stepped up in the recovery process over the past couple of weeks. Ito has been training on the pitch during the international break.
According to Bild, the next couple of games (VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga and FC Barcelona in the Champions League) after the international break will come too soon for Ito. However, the Japanese defender is expected to make his much-awaited debut for the club before the end of October. The former Stuttgart defender has looked lively in the rehab sessions.
Ito’s return will help Bayern in plugging the leaky defense
Bayern have dominated every team they have played this season, but they have looked vulnerable at the back when teams sit deep and play on the counter. Ito was exceptional for Stuttgart last season in defense. His return to action will give Vincent Kompany a very good option in central defense.
Moreover, healthy competition in central defense will push Upamecano and Kim Min-jae to raise their game. The Japanese defender will also serve as another option in the left-back position but Die Roten already have two good players (Alphonso Davies and Raphaël Guerreiro) in this role.
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Bayern have enjoyed a good start to the season. However, the last week before the international break was disappointing for the team. They dropped four points in draws against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Aston Villa handed Die Roten their first defeat of the season. The Premier League side clinched a late 1-0 win against Bayern at Villa Park on matchday two of the Champions League. Despite three poor results, Bayern performed well in these games and should have come away with victories if they had been efficient in the final third. Kompany will hope his team bounces back strongly after the international break when they host last season’s Bundesliga runners-up VfB Stuttgart on October 19.