Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund remains confident that João Palhinha will have a big role to play at the club despite his lack of playing time so far.
João Palhinha has only been used sporadically so far by Vincent Kompany, with Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović ahead in the pecking order in midfield. The Portuguese international has been limited to just four appearances and 139 appearances so far.
Bayern Munich "very happy with João Palhinha" despite lack of playing time
Palhinha's lack of playing time has come as a bit of a surprise, considering the amount of money Bayern Munich paid to sign him from Fulham (upwards of 50 million euros) this summer. But Christoph Freund is not concerned, and has confidence that the defensive midfielder will break into the starting XI before long.
"We are very, very happy that we have Palhinha. We will need him. We have a lot of games. When you see the intensity we play with, we need a really good squad. He's staying positive and training well. It's a new language, a new country, his first really big club. Everything's fine," the Bayern Munich sporting director told Abendzeitung after the team's 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Palhinha is regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders in the world, and very nearly joined Bayern last year before finally completing his move to the club this past summer.
While he has struggled for playing time so far, João Palhinha will hope for an opportunity on Wednesday as Bayern Munich head to England to take on Premier League side Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League.