Manuel Neuer has already had a tough go of it with injuries this season for Bayern Munich. After missing four straight matches — from Bayern’s 6-1 win over RB Leipzig to the 2-2 Der Klassiker draw against Borussia Dortmund — the veteran keeper was only able to clock 45 minutes in the 2-1 win at Mainz due to what has been described by the club as a partial tendon tear in his right foot. It is the same foot that has been troubling him all season long, and he will now be sidelined until the new year,
with Jonas Urbig standing in for him.
For Neuer, he has rarely had a full season for Bayern where he has not experienced at least minor injury problems over the course of the campaign, but in recent seasons, the frequency of his spells on the sidelines has increased. There have been issues in the past where the keeper was rushed back too soon from various injuries—who could forget Pep Guardiola having disagreements with former team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt? It was even Neuer’s leg fracture in the winter of 2022 that forced Bayern to go into the transfer market to sign Yann Sommer from Borussia Mönchengladbach that January.
With where things stand right now, Neuer is sidelined for the time being, and his current contract with Bayern expires this summer after the season ends. Per information from Abendzeitung’s Maximilian Koch (via @iMiaSanMia), the club is internally expecting the keeper to retire this summer—so much so that farewell interviews with Neuer are already being planned.
Even still, the plan is for Neuer to carry on as the club’s number-one keeper when he returns from his injury layoff next year, while Urbig is planned to stand in while he is out. Sven Ulreich will serve as the backup keeper to Urbig for the time being.
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