After such a breakout season at Bayern Munich and earning his callup to the German national team for the World Cup, it was a massive blow for Lennart Karl to have sustained an injury in training camp just about two weeks before Germany’s opening match against Curaçao in Houston, Texas.
After sustaining a torn muscle, the Bayern man was replaced by RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouédraogo by Julian Nagelsmann, but it’s unclear whether or not he will feature as much in the World Cup a Karl would’ve. Karl started
and impressed in the 4-0 tune-up friendly win over Finland in Mainz but had sustained his injury prior to the friendly against the United States in Chicago — a friendly he could’ve started in but was replaced in the starting lineup by Galatasaray’s Leroy Sané, who wound up scoring the winner in the 2-1 win for Germany.
For now, Karl will focus on getting fit on time for the start of Bayern’s preseason ahead of the 2026/27 campaign as he looks to further establish himself as a potential starter alongside Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise, and Luis Díaz. The youngster also recently recalled how he picked up the injury in training with the national team when speaking to Bild (transcribed via @iMiaSanMia).
“The injury happened while I was shooting on goal; I felt it immediately. It was quite a shock for me, as I had such high hopes and was in good shape. Playing in the World Cup would have been an absolute dream of mine. Unfortunately, this injury has now gotten in the way; I have to accept it and look ahead,” the 18-year-old reflected. “I’m in Munich this week for initial treatment and then I’ve been given some time off. During these first few days of rehab, I can’t do much except give the injury time to heal. After that, the recovery phase will begin at some point.”
Coming off of a domestic double season with Bayern where he tallied 9 goals and 8 assists from a total of 40 appearances across all competitions, the World Cup chance he had with Germany had all the hallmarks of him continuing to burst onto the international scene, but he’ll to face a spell on the sidelines. He’s also been dealing with the matter of Musiala having come back fit after a long injury layover for both Bayern and Germany, so his battle will now be two-fold for both club and country; get back to fitness and fight for his place in the squad(s).
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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