Former player turned pundit Didi Hamann is paying close attention to Jamal Musiala’s injury return at Bayern Munich. And he does not necessarily like what he sees.
“I think Jamal Musiala is missing a lot. Right now, it’s an attempt to reintegrate him. He was out for several months, which you can’t forget,” Hamann said in an appearance on Sky90, as captured by BuLi News — before proceeding to apparently forget.
Musiala was given 30 minutes against Dortmund in last weekend’s Klassiker after logging nearly
80 the previous weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt, and 20 the weekend before that. It seems to be all part of Bayern’s plan — publicly and repeatedly stated by various parties — to ease their young superstar back into action while minimizing the risk of a setback after last summer’s horrific fractured fibula last summer.
But Hamann, after nodding to the fact, appeared to be bamboozled by Musiala’s exclusion from Vincent Kompany’s XI against BVB and focused in on the 23-year-old’s contract and star status.
“He wasn’t an option for the starting lineup against Dortmund and probably won’t be in the coming weeks. I don’t know what’s going on,” Hamann went on. “You need time, of course. But he was given a contract last year that places him on the same level – or even above – the English national team captain [Harry Kane], who scores doubles week after week.
“When you have that status, when you’re the highest-paid player, you’re also seen as the most important player. You get two or three games to get back into rhythm.
“He’s the Michael Jordan of Bayern Munich. That’s how he’s paid. I wonder when he can – or will – help the team again.”
The former Bayern and Premier League midfielder went on to criticize Bayern coach Vincent Kompany and opine that youngster Lennart Karl’s recent performances justified his place ahead of Musiala — because Karl is currently “simply on a different level performance-wise.”
BFW Commentary
Oooookay, so let’s take a deep breath. As BuLi news noted, Musiala has already scored once and assisted twice during this easing in period where he is alternating part-time starts and part-time roles off the bench.
Hamann has never been shy to voice his opinions about how a club should be run. The former player definitely has a bit of armchair manager in him and he even had a brief stint as an actual manager in 2011 with Stockport County. That tenure lasted 19 league games (three of them wins) for a team that was already newly relegated and therefore competing in a lower tier than they had been in the previous year.
About Bayern’s totally uncontroversial handling of two young stars in Musiala and Karl — one returning from injury on schedule, one still adapting to first team squad status while showing considerable promise — little more needs to be said. Musiala has been a starting option regularly and will likely continue to be. So perhaps Hamann can stop fretting — but don’t hold your breath.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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